Sloth bears are one of the eight bear species found in the world. Omnivorous in their diet, they are unique in their feeding behavior and primarily feed on ants and termites, apart from a variety of fruits. Sloth Bears have massive claws that are used for digging ground to reach ants and termites that live underground. Sloth Bear has a drooping lower lip that can be stretched to cover their upper lip and nose. They lack upper incisors and using this natural hole in their mouth in combination with a stretchable lower lip, the sloth bear can suck the ants and termites out of their underground colonies. Interestingly, as they rarely chew their food, their premolars and molars are small and poorly developed.
Though Sloth Bear is a common mammal species of Corbett Tiger Reserve, due to the heavy presence of the tiger in the area, it is uncommon to come across them. On a recent drive to Jhirna Tourism Zone, Jim’s Jungle Retreat Chief Naturalist Manoj Sharma recorded this interesting footage of a mother and cub, while they were peacefully feeding by the side of the forest track.
Sloth Bear feeding behavior
