#Sloth names plus#

Sloth bears are sexually mature at age 3, but are rarely mothers until later in life. Many other animals that primarily consume ants also carry their young on their backs. Sloth bears are the only bears to routinely carry their young on their backs as a primary mode of transportation the cub clings to the extra shag of fur ('saddle') on the mother's back until it is 6 to 9 months old. After emerging from the den at around 9 to 12 weeks, cubs stay with their mother for approximately two to three years before heading off on their own -a long time in comparison to other bears. They are born weighing about 1 pound (2 kilograms), open their eyes at about 2 to 3 weeks old and start to 'walk' around 4 weeks. One or two cubs (rarely three) are born in each litter in an underground den. In the North American zoo population, births generally occur in late December to early January. These behaviors, correlated with hormonal changes, may occur even if the bear is experiencing a pseudopregnancy. She may become less interactive, or easily agitated, disinterested in food, defend the cubbing area and sleep more. She digs a den or prepares space in a cave.

In the weeks to months before a birth, the female may exhibit 'denning' behavior. While embryonic development takes approximately two months, gestation lasts four to seven months due to delayed implantation. Mating occurs over several days to weeks and is very noisy. In Sri Lanka, however, there is no seasonality to sloth bear breeding. In India, sloth bears breed in late spring to early summer. They also receive treats as enrichment, such as mealworms, crickets, nuts, coconut and honey.

At the Zoo, they are offered food at least three times daily: a large morning meal, a large evening meal and one or more snacks throughout the day.

#Sloth names plus#

The Smithsonian's National Zoo's sloth bears eat a dry-food mixture designed for omnivores, plus fruits and vegetables, such as apples, sweet potatoes and grapes. During food shortages, sloth bears will eat carrion. Beetles, grubs and other insects round out their diet. Sloth bears climb trees and knock down honeycombs, later collecting the honey from the forest floor. During non-fruiting season, insects constitute 95 percent of a sloth bear's diet. Termites, dug out of their cement-hard nest mounds, and some ants are year-round staples.

When trees are in fruit, usually during the monsoon season, sloth bears dine on mango, fig, ebony and other fruits, as well as on flowers. Time and additional specimens eventually revealed the true taxonomic relationships, but the confusing common name remains.Īs animals who consume termites and ants, sloth bears are considered myrmecophagous. At the time, Shaw thought that the bear was related to a sloth. Bradypus is also the genus of three species of sloth. He called it Ursine bradypus, ursine meaning bearlike and bradypus meaning slow foot. The first valid scientific description of this species was by George Shaw in 1791. It is thought that their feet are turned inward to increase digging efficiency. Due to their diet of insects and fruit, their premolars and molars are smaller than those of other bears, but they have large canines to use for defense. They have a keen sense of smell, as well as near-sight similar to that of humans.Īdult sloth bears are missing their top two front teeth (incisors), which enables them to suck up termites and other insects with ease. Sloth bears' nostrils can close completely, protecting the animals from dust or insects when raiding termite nests or beehives.

Their shaggy fur does not have an undercoat, so it keeps them relatively cool in their native, warm climate and protects them from tropical insects. A cream-colored “V” or “Y” shape usually marks their chests. Sloth bears have shaggy, dusty-black coats pale, short-haired muzzles and long, curved claws which they use to excavate termites and ants.