Sun Bear: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Bears · day 6 of 7

Five facts

1. Sun bears sunbathe or sleep in trees 2 to 7 m above the ground.
2. The sun bear is the tiniest of all bears: nearly 70 cm tall at the shoulder and 25 to 65 kg.
3. To reach insects and honey, a sun bear sticks out a remarkably long tongue.
4. One captive sun bear watched sugar being locked in a cupboard, then later picked the lock with its claw.
5. Sun bear litters have one or two cubs of about 325 g each. They are born deaf, with their eyes closed.

The quiz

1. How high up in the trees do sun bears sunbathe or sleep?

• 20 to 30 m
• 2 to 7 m (correct)
• 10 to 15 m
• Right at ground level

Sun bears sunbathe or sleep in trees 2 to 7 m above the ground.

2. How does the sun bear rank in size among all bears?

• The tiniest (correct)
• The biggest
• Middle-sized
• Second smallest

Standing nearly 70 cm at the shoulder, it is the tiniest of all bears.

3. What does a sun bear use its long tongue for?

• Drinking from rivers
• Cooling off in the heat
• Extracting insects and honey (correct)
• Catching fish

It sticks out its long tongue to reach insects and honey.

4. What did the captive sun bear open with its claw?

• A jar of honey
• A cage door
• A coconut
• A lock on a cupboard (correct)

It saw sugar stored in a locked cupboard and used its claw to open the lock.

5. How heavy is a newborn sun bear cub?

• About 3 kg
• About 325 g (correct)
• About 25 g
• About 1 kg

Cubs weigh about 325 g at birth.

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