Hi, I am a Sun Bear. I am one of the smallest species of bears. I live in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, China, tropical rainforests and of course the zoo. We live both on the ground, and high in the treetops. We are active both during the day and night, depending where we live and threats from our predators. We sure do like to rest during the night high in trees and we will build a nest of vegetation that we find around where we call home. Our population is declining because of habitat loss and poaching. It is sad to say, but you Humans will use our body parts for Asian medicine. Farmers do not like to see us on their farms, so they kill us.
We weigh about 60 to 150 pounds, and are 4 to 5 feet in length. Our males are slightly larger than our pretty females. We are also covered with course and short brown, gray or black fur. You might notice that we have a U shaped patch of yellow, orange, or white on our chests, that look like the rising Sun, that is one reason we are called the Sun Bear. We have muscular and strong bodies, with large canine teeth, small ears, and a short muzzle. Our claws can get to be 18 inches in length, and they help us to dig for food, or help us to climb up trees. We also use our long tongue to help us extract the honey and termites in the trees. Our diet consists of animals and plants which make us an omnivore. We enjoy fruit, berries, roots, insects, eggs, small birds and sweet honey.
We do not have too many predators, but have to watch out for tigers, wild cats, snakes, and birds of prey. You might be lucky one day to hear us BARKING very loudly if we are about to be threatened. Most bears hibernate but not us, because we are lucky to live in the warm areas with lots of yummy food, too. We usually are solitary bears but we do end up roaming as couples. Mating can be done all through the years and we are monogamous, meaning we stay together as a couple. Our females stay pregnant for about 90 days, and give birth to one or two cute baby Cubs. The Cubs, are blind, and hairless at birth and need their Mama’s to survive. Mama teaches her Cubs how to walk at 2 months old, and at the age of 4 months old they can eat solid food, and know how to hunt. Around 2 years old they are independent and on their own.
Maybe one day you will meet me. Please do not get scared when you see our long sharp claws. I promise, I will not hurt you if you promise not to hurt me. See you then.
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