Species on the verge of extinction. The small sloth bear is unique amongst the bears, as insects are its main food source. It has a long, shaggy black coat, which on some individuals appears to have a cinnamon tinge, and there is a pale white/cream marking on the chest. The muzzle is also pale in colour and these bears have a shaggy mane of hair around the shoulders. The snout is relatively long, the lips are bare, and sloth bears lack upper incisors, all of which are adaptations for their insect-based diet. The front feet are turned inwards and have large and slightly curved ivory claws for digging. Early explorers saw these bears lying upside down in trees and gave them their common name of sloth bear.Most sloth bears live in India and Sri Lanka; others live in southern Nepal, and they have been reported in Bhutan and Bangladesh. LINK
Saturday, November 17, 2007
"Sloth Bear"
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