Sloth bear Melursus ursinus Vulnerable
Where the sloth bear lives – recorded in 3 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.
Pin and shaded countries are approximate. The pin is a representative wild sighting (a central record among 286 open-licence GBIF records), not an official range. Method · Records on GBIF · See bears on the world map
| Scientific name | Melursus ursinus |
|---|---|
| Group | Bears |
| Status | Vulnerable (Wikidata, IUCN category label) |
| Found in | 3 countries |
| Continents | Asia |
| Diet (main food) | termite, Formicidae |
| Class | Mammal |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Family | Ursidae |
Where does the sloth bear live?
Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the sloth bear in 3 countries and territories across Asia.
Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.
What does a sloth bear eat?
Wikidata lists the main food source of the sloth bear as: termite, Formicidae.
Is the sloth bear endangered?
The sloth bear’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Vulnerable” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.
What kind of animal is the sloth bear?
The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Ursidae, genus Melursus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)
About the sloth bear
The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), also known as the Indian bear, is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss and degradation. It is the only species in the genus Melursus.
It has also been called "labiated bear" because of its long lower lip and palate used for sucking up insects. It has long, shaggy fur, a mane around the face, and long, sickle-shaped claws. It is lankier than brown and Asian black bears.
It shares features of insectivorous mammals and evolved during the Pleistocene from the ancestral ursine bear through divergent evolution.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Sloth bear (revision 1381108703), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q145016 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).
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