Ursidae-Schiller

The Malaysian Sun Bear

 Ursidae

Ursidae is the bear family most animals that have bear in their name are bears with the exception of the Koala Bear it is not a bear. They have several distinct features about them. Bears can range from 25kg to 800kg. The smallest being the Sun Bear the largest is the Polar Bear. Another fact is the males are always larger than the females. Other more commonly noticed features are round ears, small eyes, and a short stubby tail. All bears have a elongated skull with very large teeth. Other examples of bears are: Giant Pandas, the Brown Bear, The Polar Bear, and the American Black Bear.



The Sun Bear  The Sun Bear is an absolutely amazing creature. They have some very special adaptations along with some other interesting facts. Movement Sun Bears walk on four feet and will stand on two if they need to get a better view of their surroundings. They can run if the are in danger or are trying to catch prey but it is rare. I was not able to find though how fast they run. We could most likely outrun them but in their prime (about 3-4 years of age) they have been known to become very rowdy and dangerous. They spend much of their time up in trees which means they are arboreal. This is unique because most other bears cannot climb trees as adults.

Metabolism

They get their food many ways such as climbing trees to get fruit. They will also scratch tree bark to expose eatable insects they they use their long tongues to grab. Their tongues are also used to get honey from beehives. Sun Bears are not picky animals when it comes to food. They are omnivores because they will eat plants and other animals. The list of foods I have composed incledes but is not limited to: bugs, fruit, honey, snails, eggs, and lizards.

ResponseTo Stumuli

The Sun Bear has four amazingly useful adaptations. The first adaptation is very long sickle shaped caws used for scratching bark to find bugs. they may also be used for self defense and to help kill their prey. Another adaptation is a extremely long tongue used for getting honey and grabbing fruit and insects. A third adaptation all Sun Bears have are the soles of their feet are not covered in fur helping them climb trees.



Reproduction Very little is known about Sun Bear reproduction. We do not know why but Sun Bears mate year round unlike other bear species. The gestation period is from 95-96 day. They have 2-3 cubs at a time.

Classification
 * Kingdom || Anamalia ||
 * Phylum || Chordata ||
 * Class || Mammalia ||
 * Order || Carnivora ||
 * Family || Ursidae ||
 * Genus || Helarctos/Ursus* ||
 * Species || Malyanus ||
 * There are currently 2 genus names for the Sun Bear so either is correct

Differences Between Male and Females

The only true difference between male and female Sun Bears is the males are larger as with all other bear species.

Growth and Development

It takes three years for a female Sun Bear to mature and four for the males. The can grow up to 4 1/2 feet and weigh as much as 65kg.