Zoo Miami Welcomes Adorable Sloth Bear Cubs to the Family
Zoo Miami made an exciting announcement on Thursday, April 18th and introduced us all to their two newest family members - two adorable sloth bear cubs! The zoo shared the video of the two baby girls playing and exploring their new world, and it will make you smile.
The zoo also shared the girls' names: Sithara and Anika. Sithara means 'star' and Anika means 'graceful' in Hindi. The zoo describes them as being a handful but says that mama bear Kematee is doing great with them. Having twins myself, I know just how much work they are!
Zoo Miami hopes that visitors will come to see the new cubs, and I know if I lived closer I'd definitely want to head to the zoo and meet them.
Related: Zoo Miami Shares Funny Joke About Flamingo Mating Rituals
Facts About Sloth Bears
Zoo Miami said in their caption to head to their website to learn more about sloth bears and that's exactly what I did since I don't know anything about them. The first thing I learned is how they got their name, "Zoologist George Shaw classified them as both bearlike and in the genus Bradypus, meaning slow foot." I guess they are slow like sloths! Actually, their long, curved claws actually resemble those of the three-toed sloth.
Sloth bears are an insectivorous bear species native to Nepal and Sri Lank. Insectivorous means that they eat insects, and they love eating termites and ants. But they don't live solely on insects; they also eat fruits, honey (they are bears of course!), and plant matter. When they can find one, they will climb a tree to knock down a honeycomb to then enjoy on the ground below.
And those claws I mentioned? They use those to dig into termite and ant mounds to find a meal. After they dig, they blow away the surrounding dirt and suck up the bugs. They do this by closing their nostrils and using their lips like a vacuum nozzle...much like we would blow bubbles.
In the wild, sloth bear cubs stay with their mothers for the first two to three years of their lives. Mama bears carry the cubs on her back (this species of bear is the only one to routinely do this) to protect them from predators like leopards, tigers, wild dogs, and even other Asian bear species. And just like mama bears do, if threatened they stand on their hind legs and flash their large claws and sharp canines.
Sloth bears are also pretty noisy. "They grunt and snort as they pull down branches to get fruit, dig for termites and ants, or snuffle under debris for grubs and beetles.
Interestingly, sloth bears do not have an undercoat. Since they are native to warm climates, not having an undercoat helps keep them cool and protects them from insects. I love learning and sharing interesting animal facts!
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