---
title: "What the sources say about the Sloth Bear | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "56 claims from the Sloth Bear profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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---

# What the sources say about the Sloth Bear (*Melursus ursinus*)

> 56 claims from the Sloth Bear profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Sloth Bear](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/sloth-bear/)

## Sloth bear. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/sloth-bear

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Missing top front teeth | Adult sloth bears are missing their top two front teeth (incisors), which enables them to suck up termites and other insects with ease. |
| Vacuum-cleaner feeding: a gap where its top two front teeth should be lets it suck up termites | Adult sloth bears are missing their top two front teeth (incisors), which enables them to suck up termites and other insects with ease. |
| It roams the dry and moist forests and some tall grasslands of India, Sri Lanka and southern Nepal | Sloth bears live in a variety of dry and moist forests and in some tall grasslands, where boulders, scattered shrubs and trees provide shelter. Their range includes India, Sri Lanka and southern Nepal. |
| Adult sloth bears are missing their top two front incisors, and that gap turns the mouth into a nozzle | Adult sloth bears are missing their top two front teeth (incisors), which enables them to suck up termites and other insects with ease. |
| Digging Into Cement-Hard Mounds | Termites, dug out of their cement-hard nest mounds, and some ants are year-round staples. |
| When trees are in fruit, the bear eats mangoes, figs and other fruit | When trees are in fruit, usually during the monsoon season, sloth bears dine on mango, fig, ebony and other fruits, as well as on flowers. |
| termites dug from cement-hard mounds and some ants are year-round staples | Termites, dug out of their cement-hard nest mounds, and some ants are year-round staples. |
| outside fruiting season, insects make up 95 percent of a sloth bear's diet | During non-fruiting season, insects constitute 95 percent of a sloth bear's diet. |
| it also climbs trees to knock down honeycombs, then collects the honey from the forest floor | Sloth bears climb trees and knock down honeycombs, later collecting the honey from the forest floor. |
| Termites dug from cement-hard mounds, some ants | Termites, dug out of their cement-hard nest mounds, and some ants are year-round staples. |
| honey, and fruit such as mango and fig | sloth bears dine on mango, fig, ebony and other fruits ... Sloth bears climb trees and knock down honeycombs, later collecting the honey from the forest floor. |
| a threatened sloth bear stands on its hind legs and waves its clawed forepaws like weapons | If threatened, they will stand on two legs, brandishing their clawed forepaws as weapons. |
| large canines | Their large canines are used for defense against tigers. |
| Sloth bears are the only bears that routinely carry their cubs on their backs | Sloth bears are the only bears to routinely carry their young on their backs as a primary mode of transportation |
| A cub rides there until it is 6 to 9 months old | the cub clings to the extra shag of fur ("saddle") on the mother's back until it is 6 to 9 months old |
| Adult sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) are missing their top two front incisors, and the gap lets them suck up termites and other insects with ease | Adult sloth bears are missing their top two front teeth (incisors), which enables them to suck up termites and other insects with ease. |
| Their nostrils can also close completely, keeping out dust and insects while they raid termite nests | Sloth bears' nostrils can close completely, protecting the animals from dust or insects when raiding termite nests or beehives. |
| Piggyback Cubs | Sloth bears are the only bears to routinely carry their young on their backs as a primary mode of transportation |
| Dry and moist forests and some tall grasslands across India, Sri Lanka, and southern Nepal | Sloth bears live in a variety of dry and moist forests and in some tall grasslands, where boulders, scattered shrubs and trees provide shelter. ... Their range includes India, Sri Lanka and southern Nepal. |

## Sloth Bear. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/sloth-bear

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a vacuum-cleaner mouth for termites | A large gap between the upper teeth makes the perfect space for sucking up termites. Like vacuum cleaners, the bears' lips and tongue create a powerful suction and loud slurping, sucking sounds. |
| stand-and-fight defense against tigers | It is not aggressive, but it will defend itself against tigers, leopards, and other bears by standing on its back legs and using its teeth and claws. |
| it can close its nostrils while it feeds | A sloth bear can close its nostrils while it sucks up ants and termites with its mouth, so the insects don't crawl up its nose. |
| the slurping can be heard up to 100 meters away | Sucking sounds the sloth bear makes while eating can be heard up to 330 feet (100 meters) away. |
| grows 1.4 to 1.9 meters (4.5 to 6.2 feet) long and stands 0.6 to 0.9 meters at the shoulder | Length: 4.5 to 6.2 feet (1.4 to 1.9 meters) Height: 2 to 3 feet (.6 to .9 meters) tall at the shoulder (note: .6 and .9 written as 0.6 and 0.9) |
| Females weigh 50 to 95 kilograms and males 70 to 145 kilograms | Females - 110 to 210 pounds (50 to 95 kilograms); males, 154 to 320 pounds (70 to 145 kilograms) |
| often sleeping in caves and near rivers when they're available | They often sleep in caves and near rivers when available. |
| What makes it unusual is a gap where teeth should be | It was a European zoologist, George Shaw, who named the sloth bear for its long, thick claws and unusual teeth. ... A large gap between the upper teeth makes the perfect space for sucking up termites. |
| A sloth bear sucks termites up through the gap with its lips and tongue, which create a powerful suction like a vacuum cleaner | A large gap between the upper teeth makes the perfect space for sucking up termites. Like vacuum cleaners, the bears' lips and tongue create a powerful suction and loud slurping, sucking sounds. |
| It can close its nostrils while it feeds, so the insects don't crawl up its nose | A sloth bear can close its nostrils while it sucks up ants and termites with its mouth, so the insects don't crawl up its nose. |
| Sloth bears are well known as noisy eaters | In fact, sloth bears are well known for being noisy bears, especially while they eat. |
| the sucking sounds a feeding sloth bear makes can be heard up to 100 meters (330 feet) away | Sucking sounds the sloth bear makes while eating can be heard up to 330 feet (100 meters) away. |
| It rips mounds open with 3-inch (8-centimeter) claws | Large, thick 3-inch (8-centimeter) claws come in handy for ripping apart termite nests in soil, old logs, or trees. |
| Shy, Until Startled | sloth bears are shy and would rather run away from human encounters. They are aggressive only when startled or confronted. |
| Sloth bears can't see or hear as well as other bears | The sloth bear has a nose for sniffing out food but it cannot see or hear as well as other bears. |
| would rather run from people, but they turn aggressive when startled or confronted | sloth bears are shy and would rather run away from human encounters. They are aggressive only when startled or confronted. |
| Against a tiger or leopard, it rears up, roars, and fights with claws | it will defend itself against tigers, leopards, and other bears by standing on its back legs and using its teeth and claws. ... Sloth bears aren't very vocal, but can make an impressive roar if needed for defense. |
| The cubs grip the shaggy fur on their mother's back while she looks for food | The long hair is easier for her cubs to grip, and they can hold on better while Mom looks for food. |
| the ride is thought to protect them from predators | Riding on the mother's back is thought to provide the cubs protection from predators. |
| one mother with a cub on her back was seen scaring off two tigers with her roar | A mother with a cub clinging to her back was observed scaring off not one but two tigers with her roar! |
| Sloth bears are well known for being noisy, especially while they eat | In fact, sloth bears are well known for being noisy bears, especially while they eat. |
| the sucking and slurping sounds a sloth bear makes while feeding can be heard up to 330 feet (100 meters) away | Sucking sounds the sloth bear makes while eating can be heard up to 330 feet (100 meters) away. |
| Ripping apart termite nests with its 3-inch (8-centimeter) claws is noisy too | Large, thick 3-inch (8-centimeter) claws come in handy for ripping apart termite nests in soil, old logs, or trees. This is a noisy activity. |
| Sloth bears are the only bears that carry their young around on their backs | Sloth bears are the only bears that carry their young around on their back. |
| The cubs grip their mother's long, shaggy fur while she looks for food | The long hair is easier for her cubs to grip, and they can hold on better while Mom looks for food. |
| riding there is thought to protect them from predators | Riding on the mother's back is thought to provide the cubs protection from predators. |
| As they get larger, the cubs spend more time on the ground | As they get larger, the cubs spend more time on the ground. |
| A Bear Built Like a Vacuum Cleaner | Like vacuum cleaners, the bears' lips and tongue create a powerful suction and loud slurping, sucking sounds. |
| A Nozzle Where Teeth Should Be | A large gap between the upper teeth makes the perfect space for sucking up termites. |
| whose slurping can be heard up to 100 meters away | Sucking sounds the sloth bear makes while eating can be heard up to 330 feet (100 meters) away. |

## AnAge entry for Melursus ursinus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Melursus_ursinus

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| the oldest on record, a wild-born female in captivity, lived to 33.3 years | Record longevity in captivity belongs to one wild born female that was 33.3 years of age when she died (note: "oldest on record" is the source's "Record longevity") |

## Dhamorikar et al. (2017). Characteristics of human - sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) encounters and the resulting human casualties in the Kanha-Pench corridor, Madhya Pradesh, India. PLOS ONE.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0176612

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| sloth bears caused the highest number of human deaths of any wild animal between 2001 and 2015, and ranked second overall for human casualties there | Sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) caused the highest number of human deaths between 2001 and 2015 and ranked second compared to other wild animals in causing human casualties in the Kanha-Pench corridor area. |
| the highest number of human deaths of any wild animal | Wildlife-inflicted fatalities numbered 47 in the past 15 years, the majority ( n = 16) due to sloth bears, followed (in descending order) by wild pig, tiger, and jackal |
| Of 166 attack victims researchers interviewed | We interviewed 166 victims of sloth bear attacks which occurred between 2004 and 2016 |
| the largest group had been collecting forest produce | the greatest number of those (42%) occurring during the collection of Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) |
| 63 percent did not see the bear before it attacked | A total of 63% ( n = 105) of victims did not see the bear before it attacked |

## Dharaiya, Bargali & Sharp (2020). Melursus ursinus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T13143A166519315.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2020-1.rlts.t13143a166519315.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Vulnerable | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). |