Bear Sloth

Many children’s stories have been turned into movies by Walt Disney. One such story is the classic compilation of novels by Rudyard Kipling called the Jungle Book. In the animated movie based on the book, a boy named Mowgli grows up in the jungles of India with wolves. Together with a black panther named Bagheera and the bear sloth Baloo, he fights for his life against an evil tiger named Shere Khan.

One of the main characters of the movie is the fun loving bear sloth Baloo. Bear sloths are very common in the Indian jungles, going also by the name of labiated bears. They are nocturnal insectivores, meaning they are most active at night and live off insects and other small, similar creatures. Many scientists have traced the bear sloth’s heritage to the brown bear. Unlike the black and brown bears however, a bear sloth has a lankier build. They have long, rough, shaggy coats, which form a mane around their neck. They also have claws that are sickle-shaped, make it easier for them to scoop out bugs, while their lower lips are specially adapted for sucking the insects out of their nets, thus making them very close to sloths.  They feed during early spring through summer time and have their babies during the start of winter.

Bear sloths mostly live off honeybee colonies, fruits and termites. There are very few known bear sloth attacks on humans, but these bears can actually get very aggressive if provoked or if they are protecting their territory or cubs. Unfortunately, the bear sloth’s natural habitats have been drastically reduced by human development. Poachers and hunters have also reduced their population due to excessive hunting for their claws and baculum. Many have also captured these bears and placed them in circus and shows because they are very easy to tame.

Bear Sloth Video