Sloth Bear illustration from Denizens of the Jungles, 1886.

Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus

An adult male sloth bear can weigh up to 145 kg, while the smaller females weigh up to 95 kg. Sloth bears have the longest tails of any bear; 15-18 cm (6-7 in). Uniquely among bears, the Sloth Bear feeds primarily on insects, such as ants and termites, using its long snout and bare lips to catch them.

Sloth bears live on the Indian subcontinent where they are found in a wide variety of habitats, such as grasslands, thorn scrub and forests.

Adult Sloth bear

The Sloth bears are threatened by poaching, habitat loss and habitat fragmentation. Bears are hunted for their gall bladder, used in traditional eastern medicine, and also captured live and used as 'dancing bears'. The Sloth Bear is classified as Vulnerable by IUCN. (See IUCN Red List of Threatened Species for more information on the classification of the Sloth Bear.)

Help Protect the Sloth Bear and Other Wildlife in India

Please help protect Sloth Bear habitat by making a donation to the World Land Trust.

More Information on Sloth Bears and their habitat

• Learn more about the Sloth Bear at ARKive.org.
• Sloth Bears occur in the World Land Trust's conservation project areas in India.