It protects them from insect bites and bee stings while feeding. Animals Wildlife 10 Interesting Facts About Bears Bears are one of the most popular animals, but how much do you know about them? Of the eight bear species, four live in the Southern Hemisphere and four in the Northern Hemisphere. Sloth bears are the only bears that are more active at night. They are one of the rarest bears on earth and are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. Did you know that a bear's closest relative is the seal? They can smell a dead seal under 3 feet of solid ice. Since wet fur is a poor insulator, they rely on body fat for warmth instead. Sun bears are mostly active during the day. Sun bears do not have a specific breeding season and females (sows) will usually breed after 3-4 years of age and give birth usually to one or two young. Only 5% of their diet is meat including birds, rodents, and insects. However some have been observed foraging at night. 45. Sun bears are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and animals. They are marsupials. Other occasional food choices include small birds, lizards, rodents, and soft parts of palm trees. There are eight species in the family Ursidae (which is a basically fancier name for bears), and the sun bear is perhaps the one we know the least about. Sun bears have the longest claws of any bear. 3. Bear Facts for Kids All bears - except for polar bears and Giant Pandas - are omnivores (eating both meat and plants). Sun bears also have a musky scent gland in their skin that they use to mark their territory. The scientific name of this type of bear is Helarctos which is derived from Greek. It is really just an enlarged wrist bone but it gets the job done. Fortunately, enough to gather a bunch of interesting facts about them. This means that the range of sun bears ends where the range of sloth bears begins in the northwestern part. Male bears are called boars, while females are called sows. Sun bears have a strong sense of smell and are very curious animals. Pandas are nonstop eaters. Bears rely on their keen sense of smell more than their eyesight. 55. Koala bears are not bears at all and are not related to the bear family. They also have fairly short but thick fur which helps stop them from getting too hot but also gives them protection from things such as branches when climbing in trees. What are some fun facts about sun bears? Senses: Sun bears have a strong sense of smell and hearing, but their vision is relatively poor. This isnt well understood, but it is thought that it could be related to having to open up trees with a hard outer bark to reach insects and other similar food sources. However using camera traps, leopards have been observed eating sun bear cubs. Reclusive and endangered, the sun bear is the smallest bear species. They are generally smaller than the Malayan sun bear as well. In North America, many people refer to the brown bear species in this region as grizzly bears. Bears, belonging to the family Ursidae, are majorly found throughout the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere. These laws, however, are rarely enforced. These animals are omnivores, which means they both eat plant and animal matter. Bears that climb, such as black bears, have claws that are curved and strong to allow them to claw at tree bark. The sun bear is the smallest of the worlds eight bear species. One of the most intriguing facts about sun bears is that they are extremely intelligent and can mimic certain types of behavior. The Gitksan and Kitasoo . Unfortunately, they are now extinct in Singapore, disappearing sometime during the 19th and early 20th century. They have short, wide, flat heads with short muzzle and small round ears. Males are generally slightly larger than females (10-20% bigger) with both being roughly the size of a large dog. Bears lose most of their heat from their paws. They are also found in mountainous regions, where they can be found at higher elevations of up to 1,500 meters above sea level. Sun bears have a strong maternal instinct and are very protective of their cubs. 19. Sun Bear - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio Their fruit-heavy diet means they poop out a lot of seeds that are spread all over the forest encouraging more plants to grow. Sloth bears arent the best friend of sun bears so they tend to avoid each others territory. Frankly, the risks and punishment of getting caught do not outweigh the lucrative gains poachers can get from them. A gallbladder of an Asiatic black bear killed in, Currently, approximately 8,000 bears are kept on bear farms in. They have large, strong jaws and long, curved claws that are used for climbing trees and digging for food. They see which plants are good to eat, where to find them, and which foods are available in each season. Sun bears are the smallest with most adults only reaching at 4 ft and 60 lbs. It wasnt until 2017 that sightings were confirmed in Yingjiang County, western Yunnan Province, near the border of Myanmar. Here is a brief description of the anatomy of a Sun Bear: Body: Sun bears have a short, sleek black fur coat that is very dense and shiny. Their body length ranges anywhere between 100 and 140 centimeters (39 and 55 inches) and their shoulder height is about 70 centimeters (28 inches). Sun bears are agile and can move quickly through the forest canopy, often moving from tree to tree. Sun Bear Information, Facts, Video & Pictures For Kids & Adults 8Wexo, John Bonnet, ed. The word bear is an Old English word, derived from the Proto-Indo-European *, The bear ancestor is an offshoot of the ancient. In 2004, a black bear was found unconscious in a campground in Seattle, Washington. They are usually dark black in colour, with a lighter snout. A short layer of fur keeps the bear warm. These bears have an interesting walk, with all four legs turned in while walking. You might have even seen its image on the reverse of the Canadian $20 bill. So why are they called sun bears anyways? Their diet includes fruits, insects, small mammals, honey, and occasionally small birds and reptiles. As soon as they can, they move away, find their own territory, and live alone. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2008. 27. Perhaps because of their relatively chill nature, it is assumed that sun bears can be domesticated, so cubs are taken from their mothers and sold as exotic pets. 28. They sleep and sun bath in trees at heights from 2 to 7 m (6.5 to 23 ft). There is relatively little data linked to what predates on sun bears. Bears, facts and information - National Geographic The Cologne Zoological Garden is where the active registry of sun bears in Europe is kept. 89 Interesting Facts About Bears - The Fact File Sun Bear Profile The sun bear is the smallest of all bears standing at just 70cm tall, and is also known as the honey bear. Their most favorites hobby is to tear open hollow trees with their enormous claws in the hope to find wild bees and honey, which is their ultimate treat! Bear Facts: Habitat, Behavior, Diet - ThoughtCo They are outstanding swimmers and were often seen traversing rivers and streams whilst looking for meals or seeking cooler spots during hot weather. 1. Sometimes its known as a honey bear because of its preference for the honey they find in honeycombs. This brown bear species is native to the continents of Asia, North America, and Europe. Their dense black fur is short enough to prevent overheating. Males are 10 to 20% larger than females. 13. Sun bears have a very high metabolism and can eat up to 30% of their body weight in one day. Better yet, they tend to avoid places where humans live and hang out at all costs. They spend 12-14 hrs a day devouring up to 40 kg of bamboo. Black bears create winter dens at the base of hollow trees, under the snow, or inside rock crevices. At birth, the cubs are between 454 and 680 g. Female polar bear cubs are usually born smaller than males. Sun Bear | National Geographic Some farmers hunt sun bears and consider them pests because they have been known to graze for bananas, coconuts, and livestock. Supporting those initiatives, spreading the word, and selling sustainable practices can make a large difference in retaining those top-notch animals. Habitat loss because of deforestation, illegal hunting, and the illegal use of pet animals has driven these bears to the edge of extinction. Other Content Bash Articles About the Animal Kingdom! The paws are large, and the soles are naked, which is thought to be an adaptation for climbing trees. Polar bears can track down an odor from 20 miles (32 km) away. 30. Sun bears are found in the tropical rainforest of Southeast Asia ranging from northeastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam to southern Yunnan Province in China, and on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia. They weigh from 27 to 80 kg (60-176 lb). Bears hibernate during winter to cope with food shortage. The bear eventually lost interest and went away. Polar bears are the largest land carnivores on, Black bears are typically smaller than grizzly bears, have a smaller shoulder hump, less shaggy fur, longer ears, and a less concave facial profile. The cream coloured patch on their chests helps give them their common name, as many people think they look like a rising sun. Sun bears have a long tongue which helps them to trap and eat their food. Females are 10 - 20% smaller than the males. The remaining 1% consists of insects on the bamboo and dead meat that the panda may find. 2022 SEEtheWILD.org. Some are known to swim over nine miles. [3] The most accurate way to determine the age of a bear is to count the rings in a cross section of its tooth root under a microscope. Sun bears have clearly got one of the loveliest and brightest sounding names in the animal kingdom. There are two subspecies of sun bears: Malayan and Bornean. Sun bears are solitary animals, and they typically lead a solitary life except during mating season or when a mother is caring for her cubs. Sloth bears live in warm places with abundant food, so they dont need to hibernate. 101 Awesome Bear Facts That Kids Won't Bear-lieve sharks 39. Its common name comes from the white or yellowish crescent marking on its chest, which many people think looks like the rising or setting sun. Asian black bears can maintain it for more than a quarter of a mile. Its why theyre able to climb trees and build nests there. For many years, scientists thought that the Giant Panda was not a bear at all but a relative of the raccoon. Sun Bear - National Geographic Kids This can be found across the Andes Mountains in South America, ranging from Venezuela to Argentina. Like people, all bears except pandas walk by putting their feet flat on the ground. Check out their jaws and claws at work as one tears apart a coconut! You could also say that the golden patch is like a fingerprint for sun bears. Bears are predictable and intelligent creatures. The sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) is one of the rarest bear species in the world. Both found in the northern sky, explorers use them to navigate in the dark. They are also been part of the Species Survival Plan since 1994, a captive-breeding program to save endangered species. 24. They scratch the bark off for soft bedding material. They also use tree cavities and hollows to rest in. 17. 57. This is especially prevalent in areas close to human inhabitation. Each bears chest mark is individual like fingerprints.