Sloth Bear: Environment for UPSC Exams
Sloth Bear: Environment for UPSC Exams
Sloth Bear
- The sloth bear also known as the labiated bear, is an insectivorous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent.
- The Indian Sloth Bear (Melursus Ursinus) can easily be recognized by his shaggy black coat, long muzzle, protruding lip and by a white V-shaped patch on the chest.
- His diet consists of fruits, berries, grasses, flowers, honey, insect larvae and other insects. He has a particular proclivity to “vacuum” up termites and ants using his long snout.
- For over 400 years, the Sloth Bear had been a target for human exploitation. A nomadic tribe known as the Kalandars began ‘dancing’ sloth bears for the emperors during the Mughal era.
- IUCN Status: Vulnerable.
- Sloth bears breed during spring and early summer and give birth near the beginning of winter.
- The sloth bear is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which provides for their legal protection. International trade of the sloth bear is prohibited as it is listed in Appendix I of the
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
- They are threatened by habitat loss and are sometimes captured for use in performances or hunted because of their aggressive behaviour and destruction of crops