Sun Bear Facts and Information
The Sun Bear is the smallest of the bear family and lives in the forest of Southeast Asia. They only weigh 150 pounds in the Wild.
Sun Bears are a mammal species and they can live up to 25 years in the wild. They are only 4-5 feet long and weigh 60-150 pounds depending on age. Their small size makes it easy for them to move through trees and branches. The long claws of the Sun Bear can be extremely dangerous since they measure up to four inches. The claws of a Sun Bear are used for ripping apart trees, bark, and also termite nests. They have small ears and a very short muzzled, and look like a dog. In most areas that they live it can become very hot, so they have evolved with short black coats to avoid overheating. The typical Sun Bear is often shy and will avoid people at any costs, unless their cubs are in danger.
This bear is nocturnal and are only seen at night while foraging for food. Their diet consists of lizards, birds, insects and small rodents. They have great sense of smell. These creatures also love eating fresh termites from the nest. The Sun Bear has an unusually long tong which allows them to extract honey and termites from the nest, thus this is why they call them "honey bear".
At the moment, we do not know too much about these bears but we do know the mothers are very protective of the cubs. They will often cradle their babies within the ground nest and they can also do this on their very hind legs. The cubs will begin to move out after 7-9 weeks but some will even stay with their mother for up to two years or even more.
This species of bare is currently at stake since many poachers hunt them for meat and fur. Most farmers will kill this bear since they are often seen eating crops like coconuts, bananas, and oil palm. The adult females are also slaughtered since people are looking to take the cubs as pets. Currently, most of their forest is being torn down to make new homes so Scientists are prepared for this species to become endangered at any time. If you want to make a difference for these bears, do not kill them!
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