Malayan sun bear

Physical features

• Sun bears have dark brown or brown-black fur with white, yellow, or light orange fur on their muzzles, around their eyes, and in crescent or bib-shaped patches on their chests.

• Their coats are short to avoid overheating in tropical weather, but are also coarse and thick to provide protection from things such as rain and branches.

• They are around 3½ to 4½ feet in length and about 28 inches tall at the shoulder. Sun bears weigh about 60-145 pounds (25-65 kilograms), with males typically being 10-20% larger than females.

• These bears have a muscular, stocky build with a short muzzle and small rounded ears. They can smell and hear quite well.

• Their narrow tongue is very long and can be extended quite far to assist in feeding.

• They have long, sickle-shaped claws on all four paws which can exceed four inches in length and help the bears to tear into trees and termite mounds. Their feet are large and inward-oriented with naked soles, all of which helps them to climb.

Diet: Omnivore

• Wild – Small vertebrates such as lizards, birds, rodents and other small mammals, along with fruits, berries, insects, eggs, termites, bee nests, honey, the soft parts of palm trees, and tree sap

• Zoo – Commercially prepared omnivore diet and a variety of fruits and vegetables, including carrots, whole corn, romaine, bananas, apples and oranges; the sun bears also receive beef knuckle bones once a week.

Reproduction

• Sun bears reach reproductive maturity between 3 to 5 years of age. There is no particular breeding season for this species. Sun bears are solitary with the exception of a mother raising cubs. Sun bears have been observed in pairs and have therefore been assumed to be monogamous. However, the mating system of sun bears is unknown, because they have not been well studied in the wild.

• Nests have been observed in lush vegetation on the ground or in hollow logs. This is where females will give birth, usually to one to two cubs (occasionally three) after a gestation period of 95-100 days. There is evidence of delayed implantation with gestation lasting as long as 230-240 days in some zoological settings.

• When cubs are first born, they are completely dependent on their mother, or sow, for warmth, protection, and food. Newborns are approximately 7 to 12 ounces, blind, and hairless.

• Cubs can play and move about on their own between 2-4 months of age and are weaned at about 18 months; however, they may stay with their mother for up to three years.

Interpretive Information

• Sun bears are the smallest of the eight species in the bear family.

• Their name comes from the golden patches of fur on their chests, which legend says resembles the rising or setting sun. This patch of fur is uniquely patterned for each individual, much like a human’s fingerprints.

• Due to their inward-facing feet, sun bears have a distinctive pigeon-toed walk.

• These bears are primarily nocturnal and frequently spend their time during the day resting or sunbathing in trees, sometimes even on platforms they make out of branches and leaves.

• Sun bears are also called basindo nan tenggil in the Malay language, meaning “he who likes to sit high”. Some common nicknames for this species include “Malay bear”, “dog bear”, and “honey bear.”

• Female sun bears are called sows, male sun bears are called boars, and baby sun bears are called cubs.

• As sun bears occur in tropical regions with food available year-round, they do not hibernate.

• Sun bears have the longest tongues of all bears.

• Female sun bears are known to walk erect cradling their cubs in their arms for short distances in a manner similar to humans.

• Sun bears have loose skin around their necks, which allows them to turn and bite attackers.

Updated June 2020