File:Sloth bear sniffing at rock - DPLA - 54fb44b00be2fadd6bf192b83368626e.jpg

35 mm slide; color. Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata; Class: Mammalia; Order: Carnivora; Family: Ursidae; Genus: Melursus; Genus species: Melursus ursinus. Animal characteristics: Head-Body Length: 1.5-1.9 m; Height: 60-90 cm; Weight: 90-115 kg; Identification: The sloth bear has long shaggy black fur with a white/chestnut chest mark and a whitish muzzle; Habitat: Lowland forests; Diet: Omnivore: termites, ants, fruit, honeycombs; Reproduction: This bear species mates from June to July. Gestation lasts 210 days, with two cubs being born in December or January. The cubs remain in the den for 2-3 months, are carried on their mother's back for nine months, and then become independent by 2.5 years of age; Behavior: Sloth bears are not territorial, but males and females avoid each other via temporal avoidance (females and cubs are diurnal, males are nocturnal). They can be very aggressive to larger animals, and are therefore dangerous to humans; Status: Threatened; Interesting Facts: This is the only bear species specifically adapted to feed on insects.