![]() Adults weigh 25–65 kilograms (55–143 pounds). The head-and-body length is between 100 and 140 centimetres (39 and 55 inches), and the shoulder height is nearly 70 cm (28 in). It is stockily built, with large paws, strongly curved claws, small rounded ears and a short snout. The sun bear is the smallest of all bear species. Nuclear gene sequencing of bear species revealed that the sloth bear and the sun bear were the first Ursinae bears that radiated and are not included in the monophyletic Ursus group moreover, all relationships between the bears were well resolved. The brown bear/polar bear genetic lineage was estimated to have genetically diverged from the two black bears/sun bear lineage around 6.72 to 5.54 million years ago (mya) the sun bear appears to have diverged from the two black bears between 6.26–5.09 mya. A 2007 phylogenetic study gives the relationships of the sun bear with other species of Ursidae based on complete mitochondrial DNA sequences as shown in the cladogram below. However, studies differed on whether the two species were closely related. Noting the production of fertile hybrids between sun bears and sloth bears ( Melursus ursinus), it was proposed that Helarctos be treated as a synonym of Melursus. The phylogenetic relationships among ursid species have remained ambiguous over the years. Genetic differences between the two subspecies are obscure. wardii for a sun bear skull, noting its similarities to a skull from Tibet with a thicker coat however the Tibetan specimen was later found to be an Asian black bear ( Ursus thibetanus). In 1906, Richard Lydekker proposed another subspecies by the name H. anmamiticus, described by Pierre Marie Heude in 1901 from Annam, is not considered a distinct species, but is subordinated as a junior synonym to H. Its skull is smaller than that of the Malayan sun bear. malayanus) occurs on the Asian mainland and Sumatra. Two subspecies have been proposed on the basis of variations in size: In 1825, Thomas Horsfield placed the species in a genus of its own, Helarctos, when describing a sun bear from Borneo. The scientific name Ursus malayanus was proposed by Stamford Raffles in 1821 who first described a sun bear from Sumatra. 'Honey bear' can also refer to the kinkajou. Another name is 'honey bear', beruang madu in Malay and Indonesian, in reference to its habit of feeding on honey from honeycombs. The generic name Helarctos comes from two Greek words: ήλιος ( hēlios, 'related to the sun') and αρκτος ( arctos, 'bear'). The sun bear is named so for its characteristic orange to cream coloured, crescent-like chest patch. The IUCN has listed this species as vulnerable. The global population is estimated to have declined by 35% over the past three decades. These bears are threatened by heavy deforestation and illegal hunting for food and the wildlife trade they are also harmed in conflicts with humans when they enter farmlands, plantations and orchards. The range of the sun bear is bound by northeastern India to the north and extends south to southeast through Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam in mainland Asia to Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia to the south. Litters comprise one or two cubs that remain with their mother for around three years. They breed throughout the year individuals become sexually mature at two to four years of age. Being omnivores, sun bears have a broad diet including ants, bees, beetles, honey, termites and plant material such as seeds and several kinds of fruits vertebrates such as birds and deer are also eaten occasionally. They do not seem to hibernate, possibly because food resources are available the whole year throughout the range. Sun bears tend to remain solitary but sometimes occur in pairs (such as a mother and her cub). It is mainly active during the day, though nocturnality might be more common in areas frequented by humans. The most arboreal (tree-living) of all bears, the sun bear is an excellent climber and sunbathes or sleeps in trees 2 to 7 metres (7 to 23 feet) above the ground. Its unique morphology-inward-turned front feet, flattened chest, powerful forelimbs with large claws-suggests adaptations for climbing. Sun bears get their name from the characteristic orange to cream coloured chest patch. The fur is generally jet-black, but can vary from grey to red. It is the smallest bear, standing nearly 70 centimetres (28 inches) at the shoulder and weighing 25–65 kilograms (55–143 pounds). The sun bear ( Helarctos malayanus) is a species in the family Ursidae occurring in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia.
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