The Malayan sun bear is the world's smallest bear, but it's not short on aggression. Natives of Southeast Asia fear this creature as much as they fear tigers and other huge predators because the bear charges without apparent reason and attacks with its sharp, hooked claws. The bear eats mostly insects, but is sometimes clever enough to lure and trap bigger animals. Suited to life in the forest, this is one of the few bears that's a skilled climber.
Up and Away: The Malayan sun bear is a real tree hugger. The creature's light body, curved claws and hairless feet (on the bottom) help make it agile among branches; it hunts on both the forest floor and the tops of trees.
Leave it Alone: This bear has a short temper when it comes to intruders-it's the only bear known to charge at people for no reason. When it attacks, it goes straight for the victim's head, inflicting terrible wounds with its powerful jaws and claws.
Smarter than the Average Bear[]
The sun bear is small and agile enough to climb trees.
The Malayan sun bear is a highly intelligent animal. It once was observed taking rice from a food dish, spreading it on the ground and then hiding. When some chickens showed up to eat the rice, the bear attacked and killed them on the spot. In a zoo, one bear learned a trick by watching its keepers-it used its claw to turn a key and unlock the cabinet where its food was stored.
Insectivore: The Malayan sun bear eats mostly insects. The animal rips bark from trees with its thick claws to expose hundreds of insects. The bear also breaks into termite mounds, then uses its foot-long tongue to lap up the insects inside.
No Napping: Unlike most bears, this creature has short fur and doesn't hibernate. Both are adaptations to its habitat. Many other bears live in cold northern climates and sleep through the freezing winter, but the sun bear's home is warm year 'round.
Sun Up, Bear Down[]
- After a night of crunching insects and lapping up honey, a Malayan sun bear gets ready to sleep as the sun begins to rise in the forest.
- The bear spots a good resting place up in a tree, its usual bed. Using its hooked claws and hairless feet, the bear easily scales the tall trunk.
- The bear builds a new nest, as it does every night, by bending small branches over to make a platform, which will support its weight. It is soon snoozing.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The card's front illustration is also used in the Wildlife Explorer series, for the Malayan Sun Bear's profile. The only noticeable change is the removal of terrain for the Weird n' Wild version.
- It also shares the main image of the bear on the back of the card, the illustration of the bear's tongue, and the illustrations for "Sun Up, Bear Down". The latter, titled "A Hard Day's Night" has an additional fourth image of the bear sleeping.
- The "Smarter Than the Average Bear" heading is a reference to the Hanna-Barbera show, Yogi Bear, with the title being the main character's catchphrase.
- The Malayan sun bear is featured in Big & Small on Monster Mania 83.