Big cat and Bear tale

[Roberto]

Sloth Bear Behavior
Sloth bears are generally solitary and nocturnal but can be observed at any time of the day. The only time males and females come together is to mate (often in June and July). Generally, the only groups are a mother with cubs but brief groups of five to seven bears have been observed, communicating with strange facial expressions and a variety of sounds. Sloth bears spend much of their ambling along in a slow, deliberate fashion, looking for food. If motivated they can gallop at a relatively high speed. Sloth bears generally don't hibernate but retreat to caves and have a period of relative inactivity during the rainy season.

Sloth bears can not be accused of sloth. They are quite busy. They spend almost all their free time searching for food. They generally don't defend territories; they just roam to where the food is. 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. They produce a variety of sounds, including roars, squeals, howls, huffs, yelps, rattles and gurgles. They are particularly noisy when mating, when they also engage in mack fighting and hugging. When resting they make humming and buzzing noises sucking on their paws.

Sloth bears are known for their pugnacity and aggressiveness They can do some serious damage with their long claws. They sometimes bite with their semi-toothed muzzle and hold on like a pit bull. Females are generally accommodating to other females. Fights sometimes break out between males.

Sloth bears have been observed fighting with tigers and holding their own. One ranger told Smithsonian magazine he observed a sloth bear slap a tiger in the face and push it away. The tiger fled after that. The same ranger said the once saw a sloth bear take on three large tigers, each of which fled in a different direction after the encounter. However, tigers do kill sloth bears more often than visa versa. In most cases a tiger can kill a sloth bear of it wants to but is fearful if suffering severe wounds in the process.

Sloth bears are regarded as very intelligent, employing reasoning when they feed. Sometimes before a rainstorm they dig a number of small holes in a termite nest and allow the rain to make them bigger before they dig up the hole. Like other bears, sloth bears can stand up on their hind legs, It first though this was a sign of aggression but it turns out they seem to do it to get a better view or survey the landscape and. more importantly, to sniff the air for food or danger.




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