Where does the sun bear live?
The sun bear lives in the tropical forests of South-East Asia: from north-eastern India in the north, through Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, to Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia in the south. It dwells mainly in two types of forest: deciduous and seasonally evergreen forests north of the Isthmus of Kra, and non-seasonal evergreen forests in Indonesia and Malaysia. It is typically found at low altitudes.
What does the sun bear eat?
It is an omnivore: it eats ants, bees, beetles, honey, termites, seeds and several kinds of fruit, and occasionally vertebrates such as birds and deer. It does not hibernate, possibly because food is available all year. It is the most arboreal of all bears: an excellent climber that sunbathes or sleeps in trees 2 to 7 m above the ground. It is mainly active during the day.
Is the sun bear endangered?
Yes: the IUCN lists it as Vulnerable. Despite its wide range across the forests of South-East Asia, its population is declining drastically because of intensive deforestation and poaching.
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