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Bears
Sloth Bear
Sloth Bear
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Sloth Bear
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Deva Rajan
Sri Lankan Sloth Bear - Late Evening Sighting @ Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka - April 2016 — at Wilpattu National Park.  *This image is copyright of its original author Mevan Piyasena Sri Lankan sloth bear (Melursus ursinus inornatus) is a subspecies of the sloth bear found mainly in lowland dry forests in the island of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan sloth bear is omnivorous. It feeds on nuts, berries, and roots, as well as carrion and meat. One of its main staples is insects, which it removes from rotting stumps and trees with its long, hairless snout. It rarely kills animals.  *This image is copyright of its original author
 (11-22-2016, 03:45 AM)brotherbear Wrote: *Note: post #29 states: Their long claws are ideal for digging and fending off attacks not so good for climbing trees, which many other bears their size are good at. Re: Copy paste They are capable of galloping faster than running humans.[17] Although they appear slow and clumsy, sloth bears are excellent climbers, including cubs.[18] They climb to feed and rest, though not to escape enemies, as they prefer to stand their ground. They are capable of climbing on smooth surfaces and hanging upside down like sloths.[11] They are good swimmers, and primarily enter water to play.Sloth bears are the most nocturnal of bears.Sloth bears are extremely fond of honey. The large canine teeth of sloth bears, relative to both its overall body size and to the size of the canine teeth of other bear species, and the aggressive disposition of sloth bears may be a defense in interactions with large, dangerous species such as tigers, elephants, and rhinoceroses. Sloth bears occasionally chase leopards from their kills. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL5KTkk9pSY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qjWRs9G_Ek Climb a tree in search of fruit or honey, which he normally knocks out of the tree and then feeds on the ground. .... You are saying like 'honeycomb is just on tree trunk he simply knock it out' !! Most honeycombs are above 50 feet easily. He climbs till the honeycomb, which most bear species cant. He is better than all bear species in tree climbing (at-least he climbs tree to knock out),run faster,intelligent and very aggressive species. 
http://www.factzoo.com/mammals/sloth-bear-shaggy-coat-insectivore.html
Sloth Bear - Shaggy-Coated, Insect Sucker The sloth bear is a shaggy, untidy-looking member of the bear family. They’re indigenous to Southeast Asia and are mostly found in India. Their preferred habitats are flat tropical forested areas and they prefer to live alone although for mating, or if there is some food for many, they may be seen together. They can climb but not very effectively so they stay on the ground mostly. This species is fairly shy and usually nocturnal. These bears can grow up to 6 feet (1.8 m) in length and males can weigh up to 310 pounds (140 kg). Females very rarely weigh more than 210 pounds (95 kg). When they feel threatened, they rise up on their back legs and wield their fearsome claws. Sometimes they also stand up just to get a good look around or smell the air. The coat of the sloth bear is extremely long, shaggy and black in color. They also sport a cream/beige snout and often have a patch of Y-shaped cream fur on their chests. Sloth bears are essential insectivorous which means they prefer to feast only upon insects. Their main prey is the termite and they’re known for their formidable claws which can smash through a termites nest. They use an interesting technique to catch termites. First, they smash a hole in the nest and then they use their lips to make a vacuum and suck out all the content. The noise produced when the bear inhales the termites is deafening and some liken it to a roar! It can be heard several hundred yards away. Along with the insects like termites, the bears may feast upon fruits such as the mango and pawpaw and very rarely they may prey on other mammals. They have also been known to climb trees to get to bees nests and enjoy the sweet honey. This is where they’ve gained their nickname the ‘honey bear’. The sloth bears’ gestational period is around six-to-seven months and the female bear usually gives birth to two cubs per litter. They tend to mate in the months of June and July although bears living in Sri Lanka are known to mate all year round. A fascinating and unique feature of this species is that they carry their offspring on their backs until they’re ready to fend for themselves.
Great Bear Almanac by Gary Brown.
Climbing Abilities. Polar Bear: Does not climb trees; agile climber of ice ridges; climbs to travel and pursue prey. Can jump/scale a thirty-five foot ice wall. Brown Bear: Poor climber due to claw structure and body weight. Climbs to feed ( pursue prey, seek human food ) and travel, even steep rock ridges; capable of laddering up only trees with low branches. Cubs climb trees. American Black Bear: Outstanding climber. Climbs regularly and easily to feed, escape enemies, or to hibernate in some areas. Climbing ability declines with age, with large adults climbing infrequently for food. Climbing is also the principal means of defense. Asiatic Black Bear: Good climber. Climbs to feed, rest, sun, escape from enemies, and hibernate. Excellent climber in rocks and cliffs; frequently climbs trees. Climbing important in feeding habits; some older bears become too heavy to climb. Giant Panda: Poor climber. Climbing is uncommon and less efficient than that of other bears; climbs slowly and clumsily, appearing inept; embraces tree, ascending with caterpillar movements. Climbs for defense - to escape dogs, humans, and other giant pandas - and to rest and sun. Females climb to escape courting males. Spectacled Bear: Excellent climber. Climbs quite high. Climbs to feed, rest, sleep, escape; able to climb vines and small trees ( less than four inches in diameter ); spends more time in trees than other bears. Sun Bear: Expert climber, nimble, skillful. Climbs to feed, rest. Cubs climb better than they run. Can nearly hang upside down with claws. Sloth Bear: Excellent climber despite appearing slow and clumsy. Climbs to feed, rest; does not climb to escape enemies - runs or fights probably because its major predator is the leopard, an excellent climber. Can jump down ten feet, climb a smooth-bore tree or pole, and hangs upside down like a sloth. *The most arboreal of all living bears is the Spectacled or Andes bear. (11-22-2016, 02:32 PM)brotherbear Wrote: Sloth Bear: Excellent climber despite appearing slow and clumsy. Climbs to feed, rest; does not climb to escape enemies - runs or fights probably because its major predator is the leopard, an excellent climber. Can jump down ten feet, climb a smooth-bore tree or pole, and hangs upside down like a sloth. ha ha ha Is he kidding?? many times SB kick-out leopards form their kill.  That is why i don't consider these so-called experts/scientists opinions trust worthy.Anyway,it is a good climber but not the best among bears.
http://shaggygod.proboards.com/
Sloth bears subsist primarily on termites, ants, and fruits. This is the only species of bear adapted specifically for myrmecophagy (ant and termite-eating; Garshelis et al. 1999b, Sacco and Van Valkenburgh 2004). The ratio of insects to fruits in the diet varies seasonally and geographically (Baskaran et al. 1997, Joshi et al. 1997, Bargali et al. 2004, Sreekumar and Balakrishnan 2002). Understanding Sloth Bears — An Interview With Dr. K. Yoganand by Yoganand K What is unique about the sloth bear? The sloth bear is an ant and termite eating (myrmecophagus) bear. It is the only bear species that seems to depend almost entirely on these social insects for its protein requirements and thus, in this respect, it is unique among bears. What else do they eat? While ants and termites form their year-round staple, they also feed a lot on fleshy fruits, which are available seasonally. In Panna, fruits contributed 56%, ants 29%, and termites 10% to the annual diet, in terms of ingested biomass. As with the seasonal variability, the diet also varies from place to place depending on the availability of various insects and fruits. Do sloth bears really like honey? Yes, they do feed on honey commonly. The energy rich sugar in honey and the fat rich larvae and other early growth stages of bees housed in the honeycombs are important nutritional sources for sloth bears. Further, the availability of honeycombs over a large part of the year when other seasonal food can get scarce is an advantage. Why do sloth bears carry their cubs on their backs and is this common among all bear species? Cubs are frequently carried on their mothers’ backs from the time they leave the den until they are about six months of age. Carrying cubs by the mother seems to be a defence against attacks by predators such as tigers, leopards or other bears. This behaviour is commonly seen only in the sloth bear and is a trait shared with other anteaters. (11-22-2016, 05:35 PM)Vinay Wrote:(11-22-2016, 02:32 PM)brotherbear Wrote: Sloth Bear: Excellent climber despite appearing slow and clumsy. Climbs to feed, rest; does not climb to escape enemies - runs or fights probably because its major predator is the leopard, an excellent climber. Can jump down ten feet, climb a smooth-bore tree or pole, and hangs upside down like a sloth. Remember though that not every sloth bear is a mature male. There are also females, females with cubs, and sub-adults on their own while not yet really fully mature bears. Remember too that a leopard is an ambush predator. (11-22-2016, 05:44 PM)brotherbear Wrote: Remember though that not every sloth bear is a mature male. There are also females, females with cubs, and sub-adults on their own while not yet really fully mature bears. Remember too that a leopard is an ambush predator. Even Tiger cubs are killed by dholes and leopards ... So?? Mature male or female SB are beyond leopard range.SB are not runners like deer. For example small SB in Srilanka kick-out big leopards. We don't have many accounts of SB and leopards interactions in Indian jungles 
Sloth bears are said to be the strongest bears pound for pound. At equal weights, i really do not see any animal challenging it. It has an unmatchable brutal strength IMO.
http://shaggygod.proboards.com/board/38/felidae
Encounters between sloth bears and leopards are rare, often occurring in the evening at and around kill sites. In 1968, Kurt and Jayasuriya report of a sloth bear eaten by a leopard at Yala National Park, India. The details? The bear victim was either a young adult or sub adult female sloth bear described as three-quarter grown. The encounter occurred by a palu tree but whether the leopard was hunting the bear or if the meeting was a chance encounter is unclear. The authors stated the park staff were have to recorded only one other meeting between these two species in Yala National Park where a leopard was killed by a bear. The seriously injured bear was later destroyed by park officials. No other details of the encounter were provided. Kurt, F. and Jayasuriya, A. (1968). Notes on a dead bear. Loris, 11: 182-183. (11-22-2016, 06:10 PM)parvez Wrote: Sloth bears are said to be the strongest bears pound for pound. At equal weights, i really do not see any animal challenging it. It has an unmatchable brutal strength IMO. Said by whom? The grizzly is built for brute-strength, having developed his unique shoulder hump from ages of digging in hard ground. IMO - a 300 pound sloth bear would lose-out against a 300 pound barren ground grizzly in terms of both strength and ferocity. (11-22-2016, 06:27 PM)brotherbear Wrote:(11-22-2016, 06:10 PM)parvez Wrote: Sloth bears are said to be the strongest bears pound for pound. At equal weights, i really do not see any animal challenging it. It has an unmatchable brutal strength IMO. The biggest animals of one species are seldom stronger pound for pound. I know about the pure brutality of sloth bear being in country it resides. If you consider tigers, sumatran is considered the strongest pound for pound with some exceptions. Similarly, sloth bear must be stronger i assumed. I also read it somewhere. But i cannot recollect the website where i read about it.
We should look at their physical bodies and also consider their daily activities. The grizzly is built thicker and that shoulder hump is not for show, those are muscles that reinforces his otherwise very powerful upper-body strength. He spends many hours on a normal day digging in sometimes near-concrete-hard earth which is often riddled in tough tree-roots and heavy rocks. He sometimes excavates holes big enough to bury a septic tank. He also ( like the sloth bear ) rips open fallen trees for ants and termites and tears into bee hives for honey. He will spend hours overturning rocks, sometimes small boulders. Casey Anderson's grizzly, Brutus, easily pushed aside a one-ton boulder to get to some hidden fish. The grizzly ( Ursus arctos ) is built similar to his close relative, the cave bear; for brute strength, while remaining surprisingly quick and agile.
 *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
(11-22-2016, 06:32 PM)parvez Wrote:However, looking at other species of big cats, how many are pound-for-pound stronger than a tiger?(11-22-2016, 06:27 PM)brotherbear Wrote:(11-22-2016, 06:10 PM)parvez Wrote: Sloth bears are said to be the strongest bears pound for pound. At equal weights, i really do not see any animal challenging it. It has an unmatchable brutal strength IMO. (11-22-2016, 06:55 PM)brotherbear Wrote:You have a point(jaguar is the only one stronger than tiger pound for pound), but trust me sloth bears are much more nastier than other bear species. They have evolved over time to be stronger as they cannot escape from bigger predators like leopard, lion, tiger. They only have one option, to fight them. They cannot escape as they are poor runners. There are instances where bigger tigers are forced to change their way if they come to know there is sloth bear. They are even responsible for many human deaths in India. They simply are vicious fighters.(11-22-2016, 06:32 PM)parvez Wrote:However, looking at other species of big cats, how many are pound-for-pound stronger than a tiger?(11-22-2016, 06:27 PM)brotherbear Wrote:(11-22-2016, 06:10 PM)parvez Wrote: Sloth bears are said to be the strongest bears pound for pound. At equal weights, i really do not see any animal challenging it. It has an unmatchable brutal strength IMO. |
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