A sloth bear (Melursusursinus) is not the same as a sloth, which is a slow-moving mammal in the order Edentata, found in central and South America.
Melursusursinus inornatus, one of two recognized subspecies of the sloth bear, is endemic to Sri Lanka and is possibly Sri Lanka’s most endangered carnivore.
Status, distribution and conservation of the sloth bear (Melursusursinus) in Sri Lanka.
The Sloth Bear (Melursusursinus) is the only representative of the family Ursidae of the order Carnivora found in Sri Lanka.
The generic name Melursus reflects the sloth bear’s great fondness for bees’ honey, for the animal is known to climb trees and endure attacks by swarming bees to reach the honeycombs.
With its coarse and shaggy fl fur, whitish muzzle and the characteristic whitish horseshoe-shaped mark on the chest, it can be easily recognized.
Ethological observations on the sloth bear (Melursusursinus)
The paper highlights some ethological observations on the sloth bear (Melursusursinus) which is an important endemic omnivore of our tropical ecosystem, adapted to exploit the myrmecophagus niche.
The seasonal food preference, group composition, breeding, mother-young relationship and response to other species have also been indicated.
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The dispersal ecology of Buchanania lanzan Sprenz was examined through five bird species viz., Psittacula krameri, Acridotheres tristis, Passer domesticus, Pycnonotus cafer, Loriculus vernalise and four mammals viz., Presbytis entellus, Canis indica, Melursusursinus and Boselaphus tragocamelus.
These birds and mammals feed, the fruit of B. lanzan and dispersed upto longer distances.
