Do I have a special treat for all of you on this beautiful Friday. Today we are going to combine two awesome animals to make one crazy Wild Fact. You have probably already spoiled the surprise by reading the title but I will tell you anyway, we are going to combine the Sloth and the Bear to create the Sloth Bear. How cool is it that this is a real animal? If you don’t believe me then you need to spend more time in the forests of South Asia where these cuddly little bears hang out.
Although the Sloth Bear evolved from the ancestral Brown Bear, they share many features that you commonly find with insect eating mammals. That’s right, this particular bear is basically an insectivore feasting on termites, honey bees and ants. They will also consume some delicious fruit to get the taste of insects out of their mouth. The Sloth Bear is a solitary creature that roams the forests at night looking for these scrumptious insects and fruit.
I am not sure if you realize that eating termites and ants can be quite difficult since these colonies are usually contained in the ground (or termite mound). Luckily the Sloth Bear has evolved a pretty impressive technique for getting to these insects. First they will use their long curved claws to smash into the mound. Once they create a hole they will blow away the dirt and begin sucking up their tasty treat through a gap in their teeth. In order to to do this they close their nostrils and turn their mouth into a high powered vacuum cleaner. A pet Sloth Bear might be handy to have around the house – you would never have to vacuum.
Apparently other people have thought about using these animals as vacuum cleaners since they have been known to be kept as pets. Yes, the Sloth Bear can be easily tamed (well… easy for a bear) and has become popular in the pet trade. Capturing these bears along with habitat destruction and hunting has left the Sloth Bear vulnerable to extinction. Luckily there is still plenty of time to ensure that the Sloth Bear doesn’t get wiped from our planet but this will require some changes on our part.
Well that does it for another week of Wild Facts. I hope you enjoyed the fun and informative week of animal information. I look forward to seeing all of you again on Monday for another week of facts. Have a great weekend!
