NL·0774Herbarium of the Nature Library
- Name
- Melursus ursinus
- Family
- Ursidae
- Native to
- India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan; possibly extinct in Bangladesh
- Habitat
- Dry deciduous forest, Scrub, Rocky hills, Grassland
Sloth bear
Melursus ursinus
Also calledBhālū (Hindi) · Rīch (Hindi/Urdu) · Karadi (Tamil/Kannada) · Valaha (Sinhala)
A shaggy, termite-eating bear of India and Sri Lanka that vacuums insects out of their mounds. It lacks upper front incisors, can close its nostrils, and uses its protrusible lips like a suction tube. Despite its insect diet it is one of the most dangerous animals in India, attacking when surprised at close range.
The sloth bear, also known as the Indian bear, is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss and degradation. It is the only species in the genus Melursus. Wikipedia
What it can do
- iSucks termites from mounds with a whooshing noise audible 100 m away
- iiLong, curved claws dig out termite mounds and bee nests
- iiiMothers carry cubs on their backs for months, a habit not regularly seen in other bears
In the field
Field marks
- aShaggy, unkempt black coat, longest on the shoulders and neck
- bPale, mobile muzzle with a long lower lip
- cWhite or yellowish U- or Y-shaped chest mark
- dSigns: termite mounds torn open with scattered soil; tracks show long claw marks well ahead of the toes; scats packed with termite remains
- Not to be confused with
- Asiatic black bear has a neat short coat, a V-shaped crescent on the chest, round ears and lives mainly in the Himalaya and northeast. Wild boar from a distance is smaller-headed with a bristly crest.
- Where to see it
- Daroji Bear Sanctuary (Karnataka); Satpura, Kanha and Tadoba (central India); Ranthambore (Rajasthan); Yala and Wilpattu (Sri Lanka)
- When
- Resident; mahua flowering (March–April) draws bears into the open
Listen
Looking for field recordings…
Life & habits
- Diet
- Termites, ants and other insects; fruit such as mahua flowers, ber and figs; honey
- Habitat
- Dry and moist forest, scrub and rocky hills with boulder caves, generally below 1,500 m
- Size
- Males 80–145 kg, females 55–95 kg; about 1.5–1.9 m long
- Lifespan
- About 20 years in the wild; up to 40 in captivity
Largely nocturnal where disturbed. Does not hibernate. Charges when startled, a defensive reaction that accounts for many human injuries.
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Native range
India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan; possibly extinct in Bangladesh
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Melursus ursinus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
Marginalia
For centuries the Kalandar community trained sloth bears as 'dancing bears'; through a rehabilitation programme led by Wildlife SOS and partners, the practice ended in India around 2009. Kipling's Baloo in The Jungle Book is a sloth bear.
Curiosity
European naturalists first classified it as a kind of sloth, naming it Bradypus ursinus in 1791 on the strength of its long curved claws and missing upper incisors; the name 'sloth bear' stuck.
Kinship
Fact-checked: 1 correction made to this sheet. Photographs: iNaturalist contributors under the licences shown. Records: GBIF.org. Historical plates: Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0; originals public domain). Summary text: Nature Library editors and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Medicinal and edibility notes are historical and educational, not advice. iNaturalist taxon 41651.