Sun Bear
Helarctos malayanus
VU Vulnerable (2016)
The Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus), also known as the Honey Bear, is a bear species from South East Asia. It is the smallest bear and, unlike other bears, it does not hibernate. The Sun Bear has short, sleek, black fur, with a pale muzzle, and a characteristic orange to cream colored chest patch. They have a long tongue they use to extract honey and insects from trees. There are two subspecies recognized:
- Malayan Sun Bear (H. m. malayanus Raffles, 1821) — Bangladesh, northeastern India, and South Central China (Yunnan) through Southeast Asia to Peninsular Malaysia, and Sumatra
- Bornean Sun Bear (H. m. euryspilus Horsfield, 1825) — Borneo
Fact sheet
| Taxonomy | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia (Animals) |
| Phylum | Chordata (Chordates) |
| Class | Mammalia (Mammals) |
| Order | Carnivora (Carnivores) |
| Suborder | Caniformia (Caniforms, or Dog-like Carnivores) |
| Family | Ursidae (Bears) |
| Type specimen | Ursus malayanus Raffles, 1821 |
| Type locality | Sumatra, Indonesia |
| Translations | |
|---|---|
| Dutch | Maleise beer |
| French | Ours malais |
| German | Malaienbär |
| Spanish | Oso malayo |
| Measurements | |
|---|---|
| Head-body length | 100–150cm |
| Tail length | 3–7 cm |
| Weight | 30–80 kg |
| Geographic Range |
|---|
| Bangladesh, northeastern India, and South Central China (Yunnan) through Southeast Asia to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo. |
|
Extant (resident) Possibly Extant (resident) Extinct |
| Habitat |
|---|
| 1.5. Subtropical/Tropical Dry Forest |
| 1.6. Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland Forest |
| 1.8. Subtropical/Tropical Swamp Forest |
| 1.9. Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane Forest |
| 3.5. Subtropical/Tropical Dry Shrubland |
| 3.6. Subtropical/Tropical Moist Shrubland |
| 14.3. Plantations |
| 14.4. Rural Gardens |
| 14.6. Subtropical/Tropical Heavily Degraded Former Forest |
Portfolio
Below are some photos from my personal collection. All rights reserved. If you would like to use any of these photos, please contact me first.
Bibliography
Burgin et al. (2020). Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World. Volume 1. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona
Lynx Nature Books. (2023). All the Mammals of the World. Barcelona.
Websites: IUCN Redlist; iNaturalist
Image credits
Header image: Lubos Chlubny / Shutterstock
Map: IUCN Redlist
Portfolio: Mark Sikking / FotoZoo