SLOTH BEAR (Melursus ursinus)

Other name:

French: Ours paresseux , German: Lippenbär, Spanish: Oso bezudo
Other names: Honey Bear, Lip Bear

Distribution: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka.

Habitat: Wide range of Indian subcontinent; wet and dry tropical forest, savannas, scrublands, and grasslands.

Diet: Sloth bears are omnivorous. Myrmecophagus(ant-eating), frugivorous. Can consume insects, ants, and even carrion.

General Behaviours: Mostly nocturnal, but cubs and female could be diurnal to avoid predation by nocturnal predator. Mating season between May to July.

Threats: Get killed for self-defense and property defense, Habitat loss and fragmentatiown, Illegal trading

Conservation Status: CITES Appendix I
Vulnerable (IUCN Red List, assessed in 2016)