Melursus ursinus / Helarctos malayanus
Sloth Bear vs Sun Bear
Sloth bears and sun bears are both small Asian bears with pale chest marks, but the sloth bear is larger and shaggy with a termite-eating snout, while the sun bear is the smallest bear, sleek-coated, and the most tree-dwelling.
By Wildlife Encyclopedia · Updated
At a glance
Published species data from both WildlifeDB profiles, aligned trait by trait. Size metrics highlight the larger value with a relative bar.
- Scientific name
- Sloth BearMelursus ursinus
- Sun BearHelarctos malayanus
- Classification
- Sloth BearMammalia · Ursidae
- Sun BearMammalia · Ursidae
- Native range
- Sloth BearAsia
- Sun BearAsia
- Primary habitat
- Sloth BearForest
- Sun BearForest
- Diet
- Sloth BearOmnivore
- Sun BearOmnivore
- Typical food
- Sloth BearTermites, Ants, Fruit, Honey, Flowers
- Sun BearTermites, Ants, Bees and honey, Fruit, Beetle larvae
- Body length
- Sloth Bear140 cm – 190 cm
- Sun Bear100 cm – 140 cm
- Shoulder height
- Sloth Bear—
- Sun Bear—
- Weight
- Sloth Bear55 kg (female) – 145 kg (male)
- Sun Bear25 kg – 65 kg
- Top speed
- Sloth BearCan gallop faster than a running person
- Sun BearAgile climber rather than a fast runner
- Wild lifespan
- Sloth BearAbout 16 years on average
- Sun BearEstimated around 20 to 25 years
- Social pattern
- Sloth BearVacuuming termites and ants through a noisy muzzle, Foraging mainly at night, Carrying cubs on the mother's back
- Sun BearClimbing and resting in trees, Foraging for insects and honey, Active by day but more nocturnal near people
- Key adaptations
- Sloth BearA gap in the front teeth from missing upper incisors for suction feeding, Nostrils that can be closed to keep out insects and dust, Long, curved, sickle-shaped claws for digging
- Sun BearExceptionally long tongue for reaching honey and insects, Long curved claws for climbing and tearing open wood, Loose skin around the neck that helps it twist free
- Conservation
- Sloth BearVulnerable · Decreasing
- Sun BearVulnerable · Decreasing
- Reproduction
- Sloth BearAbout 210 days, including delayed implantation; 1 to 2 cubs, rarely 3
- Sun BearAbout 95 days, though delayed implantation can extend it considerably; Usually 1, occasionally 2
Overview
The sloth bear, Melursus ursinus, and the sun bear, Helarctos malayanus, are both members of the bear family, Ursidae, and both wear a pale crescent or patch on the chest. Beyond that they are easy to tell apart.
A sloth bear has a long, shaggy black coat, a pale muzzle, and a mobile, protruding snout. A sun bear has a short, sleek black coat, a broad pale face, and a bold orange-to-cream chest patch often said to resemble a rising sun. The sun bear is the smallest of the world's eight bear species.
Size
The sloth bear is clearly the larger of the two. Adults measure about 140 to 190 cm in length, with males weighing around 80 to 145 kg and females less. The sun bear is much smaller, roughly 100 to 140 cm long and 25 to 65 kg.
Both are compact, powerful bears with long, curved claws, but those claws serve different main purposes: digging into insect nests for the sloth bear and climbing and tearing bark for the sun bear.
Behavior
Both are mainly solitary and active at night or twilight, and neither hibernates because they live in warm climates with food year-round. The sun bear is the more arboreal, spending much of its time in trees, resting and feeding in the canopy. The sloth bear spends more time on the ground and is a strong digger; mothers are known for carrying their cubs on their backs.
Both use very long tongues to gather insects and honey. The sloth bear can also be surprisingly aggressive when startled, a trait linked to sharing its range with tigers and people.
Diet
Both are omnivores that lean heavily on insects. The sloth bear is a termite and ant specialist: it has a gap in its front teeth and can close its nostrils, then noisily vacuums insects out of a broken nest, adding fruit, honey, and flowers. The sun bear also eats termites and ants but takes more fruit, bee nests and honey, and small animals, and it helps disperse seeds and open nests in the forest.
Habitat
The sloth bear lives on the Indian subcontinent, in forests, grasslands, and scrub across India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan. The sun bear lives farther east, in the tropical rainforests of mainland and island Southeast Asia.
Both are listed as Vulnerable with declining populations. Habitat loss drives the decline for each, alongside poaching, and sun bears are also taken for the bile trade and the pet trade.