Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,900,830,527 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

Sun Bear
(redirected from Helarctos anmamiticus)

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.

sun bear

 or honey bear

Smallest member (Helarctos malayanus) of the bear family (Ursidae), found in South Asian forests. Nocturnal and tree-climbing, the sun bear weighs 60–140 lbs (27–64 kg) and is 3–4 ft (1–1.2 m) long, with a 2-in. (5-cm) tail, large forepaws, and short black fur with an orange-yellow crescent on the chest. It uses its long, curved claws to tear or dig for insect nests, particularly those of bees and termites. It also eats fruit, honey, and small vertebrates. The sun bear is shy and intelligent; legends say that its chest crescent represents the sun.


Sun Bear 

(Ursus, or Helarctos, malayanus), a mammal of the family Ursidae. The skull is short and broad, the canine teeth are small, and the cheek teeth are small and flattened. Body length, about 120-130 cm; height at the shoulders, 50-70 cm; weight, 60-80 kg. The fur is short, stiff, and black. The muzzle is yellowish, and there is a yellow breast mark in the shape of a horseshoe. The sun bear inhabits the valleys and mountain forests of South-east Asia (Indochina, the Malay Archipelago, possibly southern China). It feeds mainly on the shoots, rhizomes, and fruits of plants.



Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Feedback
Mentioned in?   Encyclopedia browser?   Full browser?
No references found
 
 
 
Encyclopedia
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Advertise with Us | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.