The Sun Bear lives in the dense tropical forests in Southeast Asia, including Burma, Bangladesh, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sumatra, Borneo, Malaysia, Thailand and southern China.

(The smallest of the bears, 27 to 65 kg /60 to 140 lbs, 1 to 1.5 metres/4 to 4.5 feet in length)

In ancient folklore, the yellow crescent on it’s chest represents the rising sun, hence the name.

Small and mighty, Sun Bears have a reputation of being quite feisty. It is said that when grabbed by a large predator like a Tiger, the Sun Bear can wriggle its body far enough under its loose pelt to bite the attacker in the face.

Captive sun bears have been observed proving their intelligence. One young bear used its claws to unlock a cupboard and took out a sugar bowl. Another scattered rice from its dish to lure chickens, then it killed and ate them.

Sun Bears have very short, dense fur and furless foot pads which probably aid in climbing.

Long, sickle-like claws (4 inch/10cm long) are valuable for climbing and for digging up insects and earthworms - their long flexible tongues convenient for lapping them up. Sun Bears spend much of their time high up in the tree canopy searching for fruit and often sleeping in nests that they build of broken tree branches. The most arboreal members of the bear family, they have an ungainly, bandy-legged, pigeon toed way of moving on the ground.

Sun Bears are mostly vegetarian and eat a variety of plants and mushrooms. They also eat insects, lizards, eggs and small mammals such as rodents. They use their strong claws to rip open the nests of bees for the honey and larvae. They are also sometimes called Honey Bears.

Sun bears spend most of the day sleeping and sunbathing in trees, sometimes as high as 20 ft. off the ground. They will usually forage at night, often in the company of another bear.

Food is available throughout the year so they do not hibernate.

Mating can last up to a week at any time of year (no delayed implantation) and is very noisy. There is barking, humming, mock fighting, hugging and kissing. It is thought these bears are monogamous because they are often seen in pairs.

Sows sometimes walk upright and carry their babies in their arms to move them from place to place.

Sun Bears seem to love the buds on top of Coconut Palms, which are the hearts of the trees. In one night, a single bear can destroy an entire plantation. This of course has been the cause of massive hunting campaigns in many countries.

Young bears are caught to be sold as pets (Feisty animals with long claws? Good idea!) and poachers kill them for their fur, meat, paws and gall bladders. They are also victims of habitat encroachment through farming and logging.

Sun Bears have been almost wiped out or their numbers are so low in much of their former range that they are listed as endangered.

Written for The Bear Club by Evelyn Kirkaldy of the Get Bear Smart Society (www.bearsmart.com)