The sun bear is one of the animals that can be found in the forests of Kalimantan and Sumatra whose existence is protected by the state because it is included in the category of rare animals.
The sun bear with the Latin name Helarctos malayanus belongs to the family Ursidae, the shape is small and the sun bear is even the smallest bear in the world.
In contrast to other bear families, which can be up to two meters high like the grizzly in America and Canada. Sun bear habitat is also in Thailand, Vietnam and its distribution to East Asia such as China, Mongolia and surrounding areas.
Sun Bear, Animal Endemic to Kalimantan
The original habitat of the sun bear is tropical forests in Kalimantan and Sumatra. Rainforests provide a lot of food for sun bears. The sun bear is a shy animal, he avoids contact with humans, his life is more solitary or solitary. Like the nature of wild animals, bears prefer to live alone.
Sun bears are omnivores, they not only prey on honeycombs, but also small animals such as birds, fish, snakes. Sun bears also often eat forest fruit, young leaf shoots and tree shoots. Rainforests provide abundant food reserves for sun bears.
Animals native to the forests of Borneo are not only sun bears, there are orangutans, gibbons, proboscis monkeys, various aves and other mammals. However, Kalimantan's most famous fauna are the orangutans and proboscis monkeys.
In addition, in the waters of the Mahakam River there are dolphins / Orcaella brevirostris, there are still relatives with dolphins. This river mammal has become an icon of the Mahakam River.
Sun Bear Character
Why is this little bear named the sun bear? In the wild, sun bears when looking for food prefer to hunt bee nests, sun bears are good at climbing trees to look for bee nests in branches.
With its claws the sun bear is able to climb tall trees to reach the bee's nest. With its two paws, the sun bear rips the bee's nest and then eats the honey and bee larvae.
Bears are shy animals, often shy away from meeting humans. But when the sun bear is disturbed, he will get angry and attack the enemy in front of him with his sharp claws and bite.
The character of the sun bear is savage, he is difficult to tame, even though he is cared for by humans, but the instinct of wild animals is still there, at any time it can attack the owner.
Physical Characteristics of Sun Bears
Sun Bears from Kalimantan and Sumatra are both physically similar. The whole body is almost covered with black fur, the chest and belly hair is dark brown. The sun bear's two ears are very small.
Even though his ears are small, the sun bear is very sensitive, he can pick up sounds from a long distance. Sun bears have a keen sense of smell. In searching for cobwebs, bears use their sense of smell.
His body size is relatively small, his weight is only 50 kg and his maximum height is 80 cm. The head is small, the snout is conical, the mouth is filled with sharp teeth and fangs. The sun bear's tongue is rather long, it is used to lick the honey found between the trees.
The bear walks on all fours on four sturdy legs, on the legs of the bear there are claws that are quite thick, the shape is curved inward. The size of the claws can be 8 cm, the claws are pointed, used to reach the beehive, and are used to climb trees.
Bears can run fast, their running speed can reach 40 km/hour. Its strong power is able to prey on animals the same size as a sun bear.
Sun Bear Food
Sun bears are omnivores that eat plants, meat and fruits. So sun bears do not depend on a single food source. In contrast to carnivorous animals that only eat meat. In addition to carnivorous animals, their lives are very vulnerable. Therefore the life expectancy of sun bears is higher than other animals.
Sun bears when their main food, honeycomb, is not there, he hunts birds, squirrels to eat. Other days bears eat young leaves and look for fruit that has fallen from trees. Sun bears also like ant eggs, he scavenges ant nests to eat ant eggs which are high in protein.
Sun bears are animals that are active foraging for food at night. He can get out of the nest as far as 7 km. While during the day the sun bear sleeps, or hibernates. Bear mating season is in April to August, female bears are ready to mate when 8 months and over.
Once reproduced, a female bear can give birth to four sun bear cubs. The female bear really cares about her cubs. He protects his cubs all the time, so the sun bear will be very fierce, if approached.
Sun Bear Relatives
In the world there are many types of bears which are actually almost evenly distributed on this earth. Bears are animals that easily adapt to various environments.
At the north pole, which has super cold air, there are also herds of bears that inhabit the sea of ice. His name is a polar bear, in tropical and subtropical countries there are also bears.
Grizzly Bear
One of the brothers of the sun bear in America, his name is Grizzly. Grizzly is famous for being wild, if he stands up to two meters high and weighs up to 300 kg. Making this bear called a giant bear. Grizzly bears inhabit forests from Alaska to Canada.
Grizzly became one of America's animal icons. Its existence is protected by law. In the past, the Grizzly was used as a game animal. Grizzly is slaughtered for its skin and head. But now the American government has banned Grizzly hunting activities.
Habitat Grizzly tend to like rivers in the forest. When salmon migrate to freshwater to lay their eggs, it is fish feast season for the grizzly. The ability to eat salmon can be up to 20 kg. Eating a lot of salmon aims to accumulate food reserves to prepare for hibernation when winter arrives.
Apart from the Grizzly, another relative of the sun bear is the black bear. The black bear is an animal native to America, the so-called Black Bear has the Latin name Ursus americanus.
The black bear is a big bear even though his body is not as big as his brother, Grizzly. Its natural habitat is in sub-tropical forests, the same as the Grizzly bear. Black bears also often hunt bee hives to get honey and bee larvae.
Black bears are territorial animals, adult male and female bears, have their own territorial territory. Each territory is marked by scratching a tree and smelling its urine. When another bear or human enters its territory it will attack.
The uniqueness of the black bear, is that he can hibernate (long sleep) throughout the winter, but before hibernation, the black bear eats a lot of food which is then stored in its fat.
It's not just sun bears who identify as sun bear relatives. Is one of the most formidable bears in the world, namely the polar bear. Its large size is characterized by dense white fur.
Unlike the black bear, the polar bear does not recognize the term hibernation or long sleep. Its natural habitat is in the ice fields with temperatures that always fall from zero degrees, making bears adapt, become tough animals.
Polar bears are strong swimmers, they can swim more than two kilometers in the frozen sea. Polar bears prey on aquatic animals such as salmon, seals, seabirds and so on.
Sun Bear Survival Threat
The sun bear population in the wild is in trouble because the forest where the sun bear's habitat is, is slowly being encroached upon by greedy humans.
The trees in the forest are cut down, then the denuded forest land is turned into oil palm plantations. Industrial activities and forest encroachment have a negative impact on the survival of these wild animals that inhabit the jungles of Kalimantan and Sumatra.
Forest encroachment destroys the sun bear's food chain, as a result, sun bears dare to enter the village, stealing people's food. Sun bears were also harvested for their organs. The price of bile on the black market is very high, because bear bile is believed to be used as a medicine to cure various diseases.
Preserving the habitat of sun bears should be our responsibility as humans. Especially the Indonesian people. Because after all, these animals are included in the rare animals whose existence has been dwindling.