All about the Sloth Bears in India

Sloth Bears in India

Melursus ursinus, more often known as the sloth bear, is a species of myrmecophagous bear that is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent.

It has also been referred to as a “labiated bear” due to the fact that it has a lengthy bottom lip and palate that it uses to suck up insects. It possesses sharp claws in the shape of a sickle and long fur that is shaggy and long around the face. It has a longer body than both the brown bear and the Asian black bear. It developed during the Pleistocene epoch from the original brown bear through a process known as divergent evolution and has several characteristics in common with insectivorous mammals.

The sloth bear is the most common and widespread species of bear in India. It may be found across the country, from Punjab to Arunachal Pradesh, in regions that have a dense forest cover and low hills that border the Himalayan mountain range. It is not found in the high mountains of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, in the deserts of Rajasthan’s northwestern corner, or in a large area of unforested land in the south, which is where the Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary is situated. The sloth bear is found in protected places such as Shoolpaneshwar Sanctuaries, Ratanmahal Sanctuaries, Jessore Sanctuaries, and Balaram Ambaji Sanctuaries.

 

 

Diet & Prey of the Sloth Bear in India

Sloth bears consume a wide variety of foods, although a significant component of their diet consists of insects and termites. They are able to quickly open and close their nostrils, as well as possess prehensile lips and a long, light-colored snout that is flexible. They are able to dismantle termite mounds and ant nests with ease thanks to their keen claws. Because they lack incisor teeth, they are able to readily suck big chunks of ants and termites using only their snouts and their extremely long tongues.

They are wonderful climbers and have a penchant for honey. When they go out to search for food, their dense, hairy coat provides them with an important layer of protection against being bitten by insects and bees. On a safari, if one looks closely, one can spot claw marks on the Arjun trees (Terminelia arjuna), which are the trees in which the majority of the beehives are situated. In addition to it, they consume things like mangoes, jackfruit, sugarcane, flowers, berries, nuts, carrion, and larvae, among other things.

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Habitat & Places where to spot the Sloth Bear in India

The Indian subcontinent, the Terai region of Nepal, and the temperate climate zones of Bhutan and Sri Lanka are all part of the sloth bear’s global range. It can be found in a broad variety of environments, including as wet and dry tropical forests, savannahs, scrublands, and grasslands at elevations of less than 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) on the Indian subcontinent, and at elevations of less than 300 meters (980 feet) in the dry forests of Sri Lanka. In Bangladesh, the species has become locally extinct.

In India, sloth bears are spreaded on a vast land, from Rajasthan’s hot weather to Western Ghats plateau fields. These bears live in harmony with other animals which makes them easy to adapt and migrate from one place to another.

They share their natural habitat in Central India with large cats such as tigers and leopards and can be found in national parks such as Tadoba, Pench, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, and Panna. Kipling’s The Jungle Book was partially based on his experiences in Pench.

Even though sloth bears can be found in many different parts of the world, the greatest places to view them are in the national parks of southern India, particularly those in the Western Ghats and the dry forest cover of central India. The well-known Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary may be found in the state of Karnataka. Other national parks in the state, like Bandipur, Nargarhole, BRT, Anshi, Kudremukh, and Madumalai, all provide excellent opportunities for sightings.

 

 

Population & Reproduction of the Sloth Bears in India

In the spring and early summer, sloth bears engage in mating behavior, and they give birth in the fall or early winter. When their territory is invaded by humans, they will sometimes assault the humans invading their space. Throughout history, humans have dramatically limited the habitat of these bears and their population by shooting them for food and items such as their bacula and claws. This has resulted in the habitat being drastically reduced. It is possible to domesticate sloth bears and utilize them in shows as well as keep them as pets.

According to the findings of a questionnaire-based survey conducted in 2006 by a group that included the scientist K. Yoganand, sloth bears are widespread throughout India and can be found wherever there are nearby intact forests. This ranges from the foothills of the Himalayas in the north to the Western Ghats in the south, and from the Aravalli hills of Rajasthan in the west to the floodplains of Assam in the east. A more recent study, conducted in 2015, indicated that the landscapes in India that connected the forests in the south with the landscapes in the center had the highest probability of sloth bear occurrence.

The only population estimation of sloth bears still comes from the survey that was carried out in 2006: the researchers calculated that there must be between 6,000 and 11,000 sloth bears in India, with around half of them residing outside of Protected Areas (PAs). The group also pointed out that there are issues over the fragmentation of sloth bear habitats, as well as forest degradation (which makes it more difficult for bears to migrate to new forest sections and colonize them), poaching, and local extinctions. According to what they wrote, “generally speaking, the sloth bear is threatened,” despite the fact that it seems to be safe in some sections of its habitat.

 

Threats to Sloth Bears in India

The lines that separate protected zones from other regions are created by humans, but sloth bears, like all other forms of wildlife, are unaware of these distinctions. A recent study discovered that crops are also part of the diet of sloth bears in northern Odisha.

This is because they routinely amble into agricultural fields and other human-dominated areas, where they sometimes graze for food. In the state of Karnataka, Wildlife SOS conducted a survey of approximately 700 bear dens and found that a significant number of maternal dens, which are used for shelter by a mother bear and her pups, are located in close proximity to human settlements, roads, and agricultural fields. The mothers of sloth bear pups are known to be extremely possessive of their young.

It is possible that a number of human activities taking place outside of protected areas are exacerbating existing conflicts and contributing to the deterioration of the woods that are present in such landscapes. The most immediate threat that sloth bears face in Odisha is the destruction of their natural habitat. Human-bear conflicts have been reported in 41 of the state’s 50 forest divisions.

Also, although they live in harmony with nature and other wildlife animals, when it comes to protecting their cubs they become very aggressive. Cases are recorded of tigers, leopards and other predators attacking sloth bears.

The IUCN Red List identifies habitat loss and forest degradation as two of the primary risks that sloth bears face; these factors, in addition to the species’ general population decline, cause it to be classified as a “Vulnerable” species on the list.

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Physical Prowess of the Sloth Bears in India

Sloth bears are solitary animals that are typically active during the night. It is possible for them to reach a length of up to 6 feet, and males can weigh up to 310 pounds, while females can weigh up to 210 pounds. They defend themselves by rearing up on their hind legs and brandishing their fearsome foreclaws when they feel threatened.

They have a snout that is a creamy tint and a black coat that is quite shaggy. On their chest, they typically have a design that looks like a white “V” or “Y.”

Sloth bears pack a bite with 800 PSI and can easily puncture a hole on a car’s door & they have the longest claws among the bears in asian continent. Although they do not hunt prey in the wild, some incidents are noticed of tigers and sloth bears.

 

 

Difference between a common bear and a sloth bear

The most common mistake is misjudging a sloth bear with an Asiatic bear as both are very abundant in Indian wildlife. Both the sloth bear and the Asiatic black bear belong to distinct species and can be differentiated from one another in a number of important ways.

On the other hand, both of these species have a history of naturally occurring distributions throughout Asia, but those natural distributions have been restricted to two distinct locations within the continent. In addition to the disparities in their behaviors, they also have distinct physical variances amongst one. The majority of the significant and fascinating distinctions that exist between these two kinds of bears that are native to Asia are dissected in this article.

Some major differences between sloth bears and Asiatic bears are

• The sloth bear is nocturnal but the Asiatic black bear is diurnal.
• The sloth bear is found in the Indian subcontinent, but the Asiatic black bear is found all over Asia except Sri Lanka.
• The sloth bear has an elongated face with a longer snout compared to the shorter snout and round face of the Asiatic black bear.
• Sloth bear has a mane around their face but not Asiatic black bear.
• Sloth bears are mostly omnivorous while Asiatic black bears are mostly herbivorous.
• The white chest spot is more prominently present in Asiatic black bears than in sloth bears.
• Attacks on humans are more frequent from Asiatic black bears, but very few have been recorded from sloth bears.

 

Places to find Sloth Bears in India

The arid woods of the Western Ghats and Central India are excellent locations for spotting Sloth Bears. Seek out the wildlife at Bandipur, Kudremukh, Anshi, Kanha National Park, Bandhavgarh National Park, Tadoba National Park, Pench National Park, and Ranthambore National Park.