Sloth bears aren’t very vocal, but can make an impressive roar if needed for defense. They nurse for about a year and stay with their mother until they are 1.5 to 2.5 years old. As they get larger, the cubs spend more time on the ground. Riding on the mother’s back is thought to provide the cubs protection from predators. The long hair is easier for her cubs to grip, and they can hold on better while Mom looks for food. Remember the sloth bear’s long coat? It helps a mother sloth bear as she carries her young on her back. The female then stays in a den for six to seven months until she gives birth, usually to two cubs. Living a solitary life most of the time, the sloth bear makes an exception during the breeding season, May through July. The courtship of sloth bears is a brief encounter. They also eat honey, sugarcane, flowers, eggs, grubs, and carrion. Like vacuum cleaners, the bears' lips and tongue create a powerful suction and loud slurping, sucking sounds. A large gap between the upper teeth makes the perfect space for sucking up termites. In fact, sloth bears are well known for being noisy bears, especially while they eat. Large, thick 3-inch (8-centimeter) claws come in handy for ripping apart termite nests in soil, old logs, or trees. ![]() This keeps bugs from crawling up the bear's nose while it eats! As an adaptation for this creepy-crawly diet, the bear has few hairs on its nose and can open and close its nostrils as needed. Even though it is omnivorous and dines on fruit when available, the sloth bear also eats termites and ants. While it might have a “bear” of an appetite, the sloth bear has more in common with an anteater than other bears. It is not aggressive, but it will defend itself against tigers, leopards, and other bears by standing on its back legs and using its teeth and claws. The sloth bear has a nose for sniffing out food but it cannot see or hear as well as other bears. But without human disturbance nearby, they are often active during the day. Sloth bears tend to be nocturnal when living around humans. They often sleep in caves and near rivers when available. ![]() These bears are unusual because they do not hibernate like some bears. Does having a thick and shaggy coat seem odd for this environment? That coat protects them from being bitten by their favorite food-termites! It also gives sloth bear cubs something to grip when their mothers carry them on their backs. They live in the hot, dry grasslands and forests of South Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Bears extraordinaire: Sloth bears adapt well to many different habitats.
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