If you’ve read Rudyard Kipling’s book The Jungle Book or watched the Disney movie, you’ve met a sloth bear. Baloo the bear, a character in The Jungle Book is a sloth bear and his name comes from the Hindi word for bear – bhalu.
Sloth bears, unlike polar bears or brown bears, live in hot, steamy jungles. They live in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Sloth bears sleep in caves, but they don’t hibernate. There’s never any snow, so there’s no need for a long, winter nap.
Fun Facts about Sloth Bears for Kids
- Sloth bears have shaggy, black hair that looks messy. They have long, curved claws.
- Sloth bears eat fruit. They love mangoes and figs. They use their long claws to dig up beetles and ants.
- Sloth bears suck up ants and grubs with their long lips. They make a snuffling, vacuum sound when they are eating bugs.
- Sloth bears are mostly nocturnal. They sleep during the day and they look for food at night.
- Sometimes sloth bears eat food out of gardens or farmer’s fields.
Sloth Bear Vocabulary
- Steamy: Humid, like the bathroom after you take a shower
- Hibernate: Slow, deep sleep during the winter
- Nocturnal: Awake at night
- Curved: Rounded
Learn More All About Sloth Bears
Watch this fun video all about sloth bears:
A video documentary of sloth bears slobbering for honey.
Sloth Bear Q&A
Question: Are sloth bears dangerous?
Answer: Sloth bears are usually shy, but they will attack if frightened. Remember, they are wild animals.
Question: How do sloth bears get honey?
Answer: Sloth bears love honey! They climb trees and knock the hives down to the ground. Once the bees leave, the honey is free for the taking.
Question: Have sloths got predators?
Answer: Yes they have, other bears, tigers and leopards all prey on sloth bears.
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