Sloth Bear

Sloth Bear or labiated bear or Jungle jokers or Lip bears or Indian bear is one of the

bear species with the scientific name Melursus ursinus ursinus, native to Indian subcontinent. They have various other local names like Karadi, Bhalluk, Asol, Bhalluka, Walaha, Rinchh, Bir Mendi, and Pani Karudi.

There are two subspecies of sloth bear that are distributed in various parts of South Asia like Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

It falls under the family Ursidae and species Melursus ursinus. The quick classification of Indian Sloth Bear is as below,

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Carnivora
Family	Ursidae
Genus	Melursus
Species	Melursus ursinus
Subspecies	Melursus ursinus ursinus

Physical Structure

Sloth bears are small-sized bears with black colored fur. The fur or coat has long, rough and untidy hair. In addition to the shaggier coat, it also possesses few characteristics like pale, thick, long and short-haired muzzle, long and curved white claws which makes it unique from the Asiatic black bear.

The hair near the nostrils aids to prevent insects or dust being driven in. Like Asiatic black bear they have whitish V-shaped or Y-shaped marking on their chest. They possess a gap in between the teeth which helps them to suck up termites, ants and other insects. The lower lip is long and they could be extended over the outer edge of the nose.

The Sloth bears have 40 teeth and as they become old their teeth become worse due to the abundance of dirt they suck while feeding on insects.

They have a webbed toe and a long tail. They have very large ears and mane behind their heads.

They have a good hearing and smelling sense. Male grows upto 6 feet tall and female upto 3 feet at the shoulders. They usually weigh between 175 and 310 pounds. The curved claws are 3 inches long and tail ranging 6 to 7 feet long. They usually defend their enemies using their claws.

Although these solitary animals are good climbers they hesitate to climb trees while escaping from danger, because of the reason that some of their predators are excellent climbers. These species are majorly nocturnal. Sloth bears in captivity live at a maximum of 40 years. Their average life span is calculated as 20 years.

Subspecies of Indian Sloth Bear

The two subspecies of Sloth Bear known to exist exclusively in South Asia, are given in the below table:

Common name	Subspecies name	Distributed Areas	Pictures
Sri Lankan sloth bear	Melursus ursinus inornatus	Srilanka
Common sloth bear	Melursus ursinus ursinus	India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Distribution and Habitat

Sloth bears are lowland species and live in various habitats like dry and wet forested areas, savannas, scrublands, lowland tropical forest and variety of grasslands regions which have more shrubs and trees. They can live at a maximum elevation of 2,000 m in forests of Western Ghats. Occasionally, one could spot the sloth bear in the human living areas and agricultural lands. They are seen in various countries like India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

In India, they are distributed mainly in the forest areas. They are spotted in various Indian states like Madhya Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Tamilnadu, Kerala, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Jharkhand, and Chattisgarh.

Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary:

Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary is located in Banaskantha district, Gujarat, India which covers an area of 180.66 square kilometers.



This dry deciduous thorny scrub sanctuary is mainly instituted for the protection of sloth bears. The fauna here includes Leopard, wild boar, sambar, Nilgai, porcupine,etc.

Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary: Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary is located in Dahod, Gujarat, India which covers an area of 55.65 square kilometers. This is an exclusive sloth bear sanctuary in Gujarat. The fauna here includes sloth bears, panthers, langurs, foxes, jackals, jungle cats, etc.

Bandhavgarh National Park: Bandhavgarh National Park is located at Madhya Pradesh, India with an area of about 450 square kilometers. The thick forest of Bandhavgarh National Park sits in between the cliffs and the Vindhyan Mountains. The forest has the wild attractions like Sloth bears, Black Buck, Northern plain gray languar, Indian leopard, Elephants, Tiger, Nilgai, Chital, Chinkara, Indian Muntjac Chital, Sambar, Wild Boar and Fox.

Barnavapara Wildlife Sanctuary: he significant feature of Barnavapara wildlife sanctuary is that the region covers a small area of around 245 sq. kms, even though the region is hilly and of flat terrain surfaces, which varies with a range of altitude from 265 to 400 meters. The sanctuary is known for its unique wild and it was established for the same cause in the year 1972 under the act called 'Wildlife Protection Act'.

Wildlife comprises of a lengthy list of animal and species, majorly it comprises of Striped Hyena, Tigers, Monkey, Sloth Bear, Chinkara, Flying Squirrels, Jackals, Porcupine, Leopards, Black Buck, Jungle Cat, Four-horned Antelopes, Barking Deer, Bison, Wild Dogs and much more.

Nagarhole National Park: It is one of the oldest national parks in India located in Coorg, South Indian state of Karnataka with an area of about 645 square kilometers. It is the habitat of various endangered species specified in the IUCN listing. The animals that are found commonly in the park are elephants, tiger, leopard, panther, gaur, sloth bear, sambhar, chital and many other mammals.

The other national parks where sloth bears are found is Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife

Sanctuary(Narmada, Gujarat), Balaram Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary(Banaskantha, Gujarat), Jambuhoda Wildlife Sanctuary(Panchmahal, Gujarat), Ranthambhore National Park(Rajasthan), Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary(Gondia, Maharashtra), Kanha National Park(Mandla District, Madhya Pradesh), Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary / Indira Gandhi National Park(Coimbatore, Tamilnadu), Point Calimere Sanctuary (Nagapattinam, Tamilnadu).

Food habits

These bear species are omnivores. Their favorite food is beetles, termites, ants and other insects. They make a loud noise while they suck out insects from the insect hill wherein they scrape the whole insect hill and clean the dust around the insects with huff and puff. Other than these, they feed on jack fruit, mango, flowers, fig, ebony, apples, honey, sugarcane, and pods of Golden Shower tree, petals of mowha tree, shrubs, melons, grapes, berries, grasses, yams, and eggs. Sloth bears are crazy about honey and hence they often invade a bee hive. At times they may enter into human lands and destroy the agricultural crops.

Mating Behaviour

The mating season falls during the month of April and July. The male and female attain maturity at the age of 3 – 4 years. They don't have any particular territories. The markings of these species can be the tree marking using their claws and leaving feces at the bottom of the tree. After mating, the gestation period of Sloth bear ranges between 6 and 7 months. During this period tree marking helps the male to identify its pair.

The female gives birth to 1 – 2 cubs in a den or in shelter of dense trees. The new borns are blind, hairless and weigh about 10.5 to 17.5 ounce. The cubs open their eyes at its fourth week. They start to walk after a month and become isolated at the age of 2-3 years. The mother stays with its cubs for two to three months. The female sloth bears carry their cubs at its back while walking, running or climbing until 9 months to guard from predation. The mating period can be between 2 and 3 years.

Population of Sloth Bears in India

The population estimate of Sloth bears in India records 10,000 to 15,000 numbers.

The studies reveal that the numbers are declining over the years.

The estimates among various research groups are varying and not reliable too.

International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has classified Sloth Bear as 'Vulnerable' species. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has listed sloth bears in Appendix I.

Threats to Indian Sloth Bear

he pre-eminent threats faced by Indian sloth bear are habitat loss and poaching. Habitat loss may include expansion of agricultural areas, human settlement, overharvest of forest products like timber, fruits, fuel wood, etc. Because of these reasons the sloth bear enters into human areas and destroy the crops which make the farmers aggressive towards sloth bears. Poaching includes commercial trade of various bear parts such as bones, teeth, claws, bile,etc. They are also being killed by their predators like tigers and leopards. Occasionally, they are used for performing dances and in circuses.

Conservation efforts in India

Sloth bears in India are reported to thrive in 174 Protected Areas, which comprises of 46 National Parks and 128 Wildlife Sanctuaries. The Protected areas are restricted from human population. They are protected under the Schedule I of Indian Wildlife Protect Act 1972. Indian government has banned the usage of sloth bears for entertainment purpose. Awareness programs are given to reduce human-bear conflicts. CITES has taken steps to protect Bears from trade for their bones, teeth, claws and bile.

Interesting Facts

• Sloth bears are the only animal in the bear family that carry their cubs at the back while travelling.
• These are nocturnal animals when present outside the protected areas, otherwise they are diurnal.
• The bones, teeth and claws of Sloth bears are used to ward off evil spirits.
• The bear fat is used in native medicine and for hair regeneration.
• Their gall bladder is used in eastern medicine making.