---
title: "What the sources say about the Sun Bear | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "53 claims from the Sun Bear profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Sun Bear (*Helarctos malayanus*)

> 53 claims from the Sun Bear profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Sun Bear](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/sun-bear/)

## Chauhan & Sethy (2011). Human-malayan Sun Bear Conflicts in Manipur State, India. Indian Forester.

https://indianforester.co.in/index.php/indianforester/article/view/12367

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| dangerLevel: High | In total, there were 98 humau injury cases by sun bear during 1995-2008. (note: #1046; capability reading: injuries to people, no deaths stated, so High not Deadly. 'humau' is the journal page's own OCR.) |

## Sun Bear. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

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

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The world's smallest bear, 23 to 65 kg, with the longest tongue and a chest crescent as individual as a fingerprint. | Weight: 60 to 145 pounds (23 to 65 kilograms) (note: tagline; tongue/patch claims below) |
| Although it is the smallest bear in the world, it has the longest tongue. | Although sun bears are the smallest bears in the world, they have the longest tongues. |
| Mostly fruit and insects, plus honey, small birds, lizards and rodents | rely primarily on fruit and insects ... Other occasional food choices include small birds, fruit, honey, lizards, rodents |
| is the smallest of the world's eight bear species | Sun bears are the smallest of the world's eight bear species |
| but it has the longest tongue | Although sun bears are the smallest bears in the world, they have the longest tongues. |
| That tongue is perfect for reaching honey and insects inside trees and other tight places. | A sun bear’s especially long tongue is perfectly suited for reaching honey and insects inside trees and other tight places. |
| Its front paws and long claws rip trees open in search of insects or sap. | Their front paws and long claws rip open trees in search of insects or sap |
| The claws are about 10 centimeters (4 inches) long. | 4-inch-long (10 centimeters) claws |
| Its strong jaws and teeth can even open coconuts. | Their strong jaws and teeth can even open coconuts! |
| Its name comes from the white or yellowish crescent on its chest, which many people think looks like the rising or setting sun. | Their common name comes from the white or yellowish crescent markings on their chest, which many people think looks like the rising or setting sun. |
| Each bear's crest is unique, like a fingerprint. | Each bear’s crest is unique—like our fingerprints. |
| An adult sun bear weighs 23 to 65 kilograms (60 to 145 pounds) and is 1.1 to 1.4 meters long. | Length: 3.5 to 4.5 feet (1.1 to 1.4 meters) long Weight: 60 to 145 pounds (23 to 65 kilograms) |
| Males are 10 to 20 percent larger than females. | males are 10 to 20 percent larger than females |
| The species is about half the size of an American black bear. | about half the size of American black bears |
| In Malay, its name means "he who likes to sit high". | which means “he who likes to sit high.” |
| Big paws with hairless soles help it climb | large paws with hairless soles help them move about with ease high up in trees |
| it walks pigeon-toed, which is an adaptation to life in the trees | They have a distinctive pigeon-toed walk, an adaptation to their arboreal lifestyle. |
| If a predator grabs on, a sun bear can turn in its loose skin and bite back. | If a predator were to latch on during a struggle, a sun bear can turn in its loose skin and bite its attacker. |
| one of its two subspecies is the Bornean sun bear | SUBSPECIES: euryspilus (Bornean sun bear), malayanus (Malayan sun bear) |
| Sun bears rely mostly on fruit and insects | Omnivorous sun bears rely primarily on fruit and insects to meet their nutritional needs. |
| They do not hibernate, probably because their tropical forest has food year-round. | Sun bears do not hibernate like cold-weather bears, probably because their tropical habitat provides food sources year-round. |
| San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance gives an average life span of 23 years for females. | On average, 23 years for females, unknown for males |
| Nobody knows how many are left, because the bears are secretive and few studies have focused on them. | It is unknown how many are left, since their secretive nature makes them hard to find, and few studies have focused on these bears. |
| Scientists think the population fell by more than 30 percent in 30 years | The population of this rare bear is thought to have declined more than 30 percent in the last 30 years. |
| as farming and logging destroy forest and poachers hunt the bears for meat and medicines | habitat loss from farming and logging, poaching (both for meat and use in medicines) |
| Hunting them is illegal, but the laws are rarely enforced. | Although it is illegal to hunt sun bears, laws protecting them are rarely enforced. |
| In eastern India it shares the forest with black bears and sloth bears, the only place where those three bears are known to live together today. | Small sun bear, black bear, and sloth bear populations have been found in eastern India, making this area the only place where the three kinds of bears are known to coexist today. |
| Honey, small birds, lizards and rodents are occasional extras | Other occasional food choices include small birds, fruit, honey, lizards, rodents |
| To many people, the pale crescent there looks like the sun rising or setting. | white or yellowish crescent markings on their chest, which many people think looks like the rising or setting sun |
| No two bears have quite the same one. | Each bear’s crest is unique—like our fingerprints. |
| It is the smallest of the eight bear species. | Sun bears are the smallest of the world's eight bear species |
| Picture an American black bear, then halve it. | about half the size of American black bears |
| Adults weigh 23 to 65 kilograms. | Weight: 60 to 145 pounds (23 to 65 kilograms) |
| Females average about 23 years, according to San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. | On average, 23 years for females, unknown for males |
| Nobody has worked out an average for males yet. | On average, 23 years for females, unknown for males |
| Its IUCN listing is Vulnerable. | According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, sun bears are vulnerable to extinction. |
| A lack of data is what currently keeps it from being listed as endangered | This lack of data currently prevents them from being listed as endangered |
| though scientists believe its numbers are dwindling rapidly | scientists believe sun bear populations are dwindling rapidly |
| claws about 10 centimeters long rip trees open for insects or sap | Their front paws and long claws rip open trees in search of insects or sap |
| the longest tongue of any bear reaches the honey inside | they have the longest tongues |

## Bies. Helarctos malayanus (sun bear). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Helarctos_malayanus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Dense lowland tropical forests | Sun bears are found in dense lowland tropical forests. |
| On some bears the patch is missing completely. | The yellowish or white chest patch is highly variable, "U" shaped in some and completely absent in others. |
| It lives in the dense lowland tropical forests | Sun bears are found in dense lowland tropical forests. |
| bees and termites among them | Sun bears are opportunistic omnivores, with bees , termites , and earthworms comprising the main part of their diet |
| when the chance comes up they scavenge tiger kills | Should the opportunity present itself, sun bears will eat small rodents, birds, and lizards along with scavenging tiger kills |
| climber | They can commonly be found climbing in trees. (note: tags: climber) |

## Sun Bear. Oakland Zoo.

https://www.oaklandzoo.org/animals/sun-bear

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| It lives in the dense lowland tropical forests of Southeast Asia, from as far north as Myanmar to the Indonesian islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra in the south. | dense lowland tropical forests of Southeast Asia, from as far north as Myanmar, to as far south as the two main Islands of Indonesia, Kalimantan and Sumatra |
| Its historic range was far larger, and today the bears live in more fragmented areas. | Their historic range was expansive, but in the present day they exist in more fragmented areas. |
| Dense lowland tropical forests of Southeast Asia, from Myanmar south to Sumatra and Borneo | dense lowland tropical forests of Southeast Asia, from as far north as Myanmar, to as far south as the two main Islands of Indonesia, Kalimantan and Sumatra (note: Kalimantan is the Indonesian part of Borneo) |

## AnAge entry for Helarctos malayanus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

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

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| One captive bear in the AnAge database reached 35.9 years. | One captive specimen lived 35.9 years |
| weightKg: 46 | Adult weight 46,000 g (note: 46 kg from 46,000 g; Medium class, inside SDZ's 23 to 65 kg) |

## Scotson et al. (2017). Helarctos malayanus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T9760A123798233.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2017-3.rlts.t9760a45033547.en

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