Sloth Bear: Active Insect Eaters

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Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Abdy Money and I'm Rich Schwartz. Welcome to Amazing Wildlife, where we explore unique stories of wildlife from around the world and uncover fascinating animal facts. This podcast is a production of I Heart Radio and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, in international nonprofit conservation organization behind the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. This next mammal is a bear that does not hibernate. There's also an interesting story about its name. Today we're talking about the sloth bear. Rick. Does the sloth bear have any connection to the tree dwelling sloth in a word? No? In fact, Ebony, the name is very misleading. Sloth bears are not related to sloss, and they aren't slow. In fact, they can run faster than a human can, and they don't live their life upside down in the trees like a sloft does. So how did this misnomer come about? Where does this name originate? Well, Ebony, we can attribute that to the first written scientific description of the sloth bear. In George Shaw, who's a botanist and zoologist, gave the sloth bear the scientific name Ersine Brady puss Ersine meeting bear like and brady Puss, meaning the slow foot. Brady Puss is also the genus of the three species of sloth. He gave the sloth bear this name because upon his initial observations, Shaw thought that the bear was related to the sloth. In time, with additional evaluations of specimens, the true taxonomic relationships were better understood, specifically that they are not related to slots at all. But the name stuck anyway, and the confusion about the common name continues to this day. So where did Shaw come across the sloth bear? Where in nature in the world do you find slot bear? The current slough bear range includes India, Sri Lanka, and southern Nepal. Historically, slot bears have also been reported in Bangladesh and Bhutan, but at this time it is unclear whether the sloth bear is present in the wild habitats of those countries. Now. Within those areas, sloth bears reside in a variety of dry and moist forests. They also will live in tall grasslands where boulders and scattered shrubs and some trees provide shelter as well. The sloth bear has lived in different habitats in India for some time. Is this what led to the two subspecies or how did that come about? Oh? Yes, ebony With a species like the sloth bear, when two populations reside in different habitats for long periods of time, well, sometimes we start to see genetic variations or differences. In the case of the sloth bear, these variances are significant enough to scientifically recognize the fact that there are two subspecies of sloth bear, the Indian sloth bear and the Sri Lankan sloth bear. So how did the subspecies differ? Is there any variation in their size or maybe their appearance that people can spot. Yeah, there are some subtle very aians in their appearance, but for the most part, sloth bears have a long, shaggy black coat with sort of a dirty white or yellow V shaped marking on their chest, similar to that of the sun bear or the Asiatic black bear. Their muzzle can be sort of an off white or gray color, and the color or texture of their coat may vary with the seasons, but it usually looks a little rough and mostly black in color. With all of that said, between the two subspecies, the Sri Lankan sloth bear is usually considered smaller with a shorter coat, looking less shaggy than the Indian sloth bear. Oh and it also has been noted that it is common to see the Sri Lankan sloth bear without the characteristic white chest mark. So sloth bears are described as a small You even mentioned that they were small, but the males can actually grow as tall as six ft tall. Why is this considered small and the bear world? Is this small compared to other bears? Oh? Yes, I think it's fair to say they are small when compared to polar bears, brown bears and the like. They aren't quite as small as the sun bear that we talked about a couple of episodes back, but coming in around six feet in length, with males weighing up to three hundred pounds and females around two hundred pounds, they are still considered small when it comes to bears. So, continuing with the bear comparisons, we open the conversation by stating that sloth bears do not hibernate. Rick, is there an explanation for why some bears will hibernate and others will not? Oh? I like this question, ebany, because if we ask the question why do black bears and brown bears hibernate, we will also understand why the sloth bear doesn't. You see, black bears and brown bears that reside in the northern hemisphere hibernate in the winter because the lack of food sources and the harsh winter conditions. It makes more sense for them to hibernate when we look at the environment where the sloth bear lives. Food is available all year and the climate remains warm year round with minimal seasonal changes. Now that said, softwares will take shelter for periods of time during the long rainy periods that can occur. There's some question about whether sloth bears are nocturnal, and I was surprised that this was in question, Rick, how does the bears proximity to humans impact its behavior. With sloth bear's ebony, they seem to be active when they need to be or when it's in their best interest. And yes, they have been observed being nocturnal or active at night if there are predators in the area or if there's a lot of human activity in or near their habitat. It sounds like they're resourceful exactly. So, Rick, we've talked about other animals that have special adaptations that help them see better at night to hunt um, such as the nocturnal birds and some big cats that have very effective night vision. But the sloth bear is actually known to have poor eyesight and poor hearing. So I was also surprised to learn that the sloth bear will adapt to its environment and forge at night. As you just mentioned, how does the soft bear like overcome its limitations with with eyesight and in hearing? You bring up a really good point ebony and believe it or not. Even though there are nocturnal species out there with amazing nighttime vision like owls and tigers, there are also many nocturnal species with very poor eyesight. For example, the three bandited armadillo is very active at night, but also has very poor eyesight. So how does that work well? They have a very good sense of smell for finding their food and sensitive ears for listening for predators, and the sloth bear is kind of the same way. Sloth bear is dying on termites, ants, and other insects along with fruit when it's available. They don't actively hunt other animals. They use their highly adapted sense of smell to find their food, find a mate and avoid conflicts no matter the time of day or night. They do just fine with less than perfect eyesight. You mentioned a diode of termites and you can't forget root yum. Are all bears omnivores well ebony in general? Yes, but it's worth noting polar bears are primarily carnivores that will only eat plant materials when waiting for sea ice to form so they can go hunting. However, in general, bears are omnivores that have relatively simple or unspecialized digestive systems similar to those of other carnivores. The primary difference is that most bear species have an elongated digestive track, an adaptation that allows bears more efficient digestion of vegetation than other carnivores like cats. Regarding slot bears in nature, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the organization that gathers data and analysis and advocates for wildlife, lists sloth bears as vulnerable on its i u c IN Red list, meaning it's likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction get better improved. Rick what are those circumstances threatening the soft bears survival. Unfortunately, ebany, as we have seen with several species that we have discussed, things like habitat loss, human encroachment due to urban development and agriculture, coaching, and trade for body parts have all impacted their population. And currently there are efforts in place to help with sloth bear conservation, but at this time it's still too early to see if those efforts will really help stop the decreasing trend in their population, and one of the conservation focuses right now is to continue creating a safe population and accredited zoos. By working together, zoos like the San Diego Zoo and our partners can ensure we don't lose them to extinction. And part of that conservation effort that extends within zoos and beyond is helping to raise awareness about wildlife trafficking. Unfortunately, some cultures believe bare body parts carry medicinal or magical sort of purposes, and by educating others and learning more about that, we can help prevent the trade in wildlife and therefore helps save that population. Coming up, young listener will have an opportunity to ask questions about this shaggy haired bear. But first, now it's time for the San Diego Zoo Minute, an opportunity for you to learn what's new at the Zoo. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has achieved a conservation milestone with a hatching of a North Island brown kiwi, the first time this species has hatched at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The mail chick hatched on June and brings valuable genetic diversity to a very small brown kiwi population in North America. Wildlife care specialists monitored the chick's diet and waking across several weeks, and we're happy to report the young kiwi is doing well. Did you know It was once believed that a sloth bear was being aggressive and threatening when it stood up on its hind feet, But often bears are just getting a better view and checking the air for whiffs of food or danger. Today, we've traveled around the subcontinent of India exploring the world of the sloth bear. Now we have questions from Amazing Wildlife young listener Malia Chen. Previously, you explained that sloth bears live in tall grasslands with trees, shrubs, and boulders for shelter. But do they climb in the trees like sloths. Well, Malia, yes and no. Although soft bears will climb trees to find food on occasion, like knocking to be hived down to get the honey or getting fruit when it's available, they aren't like the true sloth that spends almost all of their time up in the trees. When explaining how sloth bears do not hibernate, you mentioned that they will take shelter for periods of time during the rainy season. Where do they stay and what do they do during this time? You know, Malia, I don't think I've ever been asked that before. But when it comes to waiting out the downpour of a rainy season, sloth bears will take shelter in old, hollowed out trees, under rock out croppings, or even in small caves, and while they are patiently waiting for the storm to clear, they usually just rest up, occasionally going out to find some food between storms. How do sloth bears use their long claws, Malia, Those long, sharp claws are very important tools for sloth bears. Of course, they come in handy when they do climb trees, but even more importantly, they will use these claws to tear open termite mounds or dig into rotting wood to find termites, bugs, and grub, all very yummy and nutritious food for the sloth bears. It's fair to say without those long curved claws they wouldn't be able to eat. Why do sloth bears have shaggy hair? I have to admit, Malia, some sloth bears have the best shaggy hair of all the entire animal kingdom. And as honest, it may seem to have a thick shaggy coat while living in a tropical environment. The coat is perfect for where they live. This is because there's shaggy for does not have an undercoat. The shaggy coat protects them from their environment. Rain will beat up and roll right off those long shaggy hairs, and also it makes it harder for termites and bees to make a counter attack when the bear is rating the nest for food and without the usual undercoat that we see in other mammals, air travels through the coat easily, helping keep them cool in warmer climates where they live. So it may look a little odd at first, but it really does serve an important purpose. Emilia, I want to thank you for taking the time to send in your questions about sloth bears. I want all of our listeners, no matter your age, to remember staying curious about the world around you allows you to learn and understand more about wildlife and nature. And if any of our other young listeners have questions about wildlife, please send us an audio file of you asking your questions to wildlife at iHeart media dot com. Then keep listening to see if we answer your questions in an upcoming episode. Thanks for listening, we hope you've learned a lot about the sloth bear. Be sure to subscribe and tune into next week's episode, in which will bring you the story of a bear that was once considered to be more closely related to raccoons than bears. I'm Ebony Money and I'm Ricked Schwartz. Thanks for listening. If you would like to find out more about San Diego Zoo wildlaf Alliance, please visit sdz w A dot org. Amazing Wildlife is a production of I Heart Radio. Our producer is Nikia Swinton and our executive producer is Marcy to Peanut. Our audio engineer and editor is Sierra Spreen. For more, shows from my heart Radio, check out the I heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.