Sri Lankan Sloth Bear
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| Sri Lankan Sloth Bear | ||||||||||||||||
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| Melursus ursinus inornatus Pucheran, 1855 |
The Sri Lankan Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus inornatus) is a subspecies of the Sloth Bear. It is found mainly in lowland dry forests in the Island of Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan Sloth Bear is omnivorous. It feeds on nuts, berries, and roots, as well as carrion and meat. One of its main staples is insects, which it removes from rotting stumps and trees with its long, hairless snout and its naked lips. It rarely kills animals. This bear also likes honey.
Yala National Park is a famous place to sight these beautiful mammals in Sri Lanka.
[edit] Conservation Status
The Sri Lankan Sloth Bear is critically endangered, with a population of less than 1000 (the wild population may be as few as 500) in many isolated populations with population decrease. Destruction of dry-zone natural forest is its main threat, because unlike other large Sri Lankan animals, the Sri Lankan Sloth Bear is highly dependent on natural forests for its food source.
