To quote Dwight K Schrute, ‘that’s a ridiculous question.’
FALSE! The sun bear.

All bears are pretty cool in my opinion, from Andean spectacled bears to the Alaskan grizzlies - but Sun Bears will always be one of my personal favourites for many reasons.
One being, how they were mentioned in the news last year and gathered widespread attention for their hilarious impression on visitors at Canberra Zoo. To catch you up if you missed it - in 2023, Canberra Zoo actually had to clarify to its visitors that their sun bear named Angela wasn’t actually a human in a bear suit despite suspicion due to the bear’s sagging skin.
FACT!

The sun bear's loose or sagging skin is actually a unique defensive adaptation, allowing them to slide out of difficult situations when predators attack. This added flexibility allows for greater mobility when coming face to face with an attacker.
You can find the Sun Bear, also known as Helarctos malayanus, deep in the heart of the lush rainforests of Southeast Asia.
These little guys are significantly lighter than grizzly bears and are roughly half of the length of a polar bear, recorded to weigh only 27–65 kg (59–143 pounds) and grow 1 - 1.2 metres (3.3 - 4 feet) long with a 5-cm (2-inch) tail. To put this into perspective, a male grizzly bear can effortlessly tip the scales at 600 pounds, with those dining on salmon in Alaska often boasting even greater weight.
They may be the smallest bear species around, but don’t let their size fool you - they’re arboreal, meaning they live in the trees due to their master climbing abilities, allowing them to soak up the South East Asian sun.
Sun Bear in the Spotlight

One distinctive feature of sun bears is the golden or cream-coloured crescent-shaped patch on their chest, which varies in shape and size between individuals. These unique markings and their sunbathing habits have earned them their ‘sun bear’ name.
They're like the cool, under-appreciated cousins of the bear world. You know how most bears hibernate, right? Sun bears don’t sleep during the winter due to living life in tropical regions. They’re also diurnal so they really get to soak up that Vitamin D.
Whilst these tree-hugging treasures of the jungle enjoy eating grubs found inside of rotten tree logs, the sun bear also loves a bit of pud - eating honey is their favourite snack. Their tongues reach up to 10 inches long allowing them to scoop out honey from beehives, after using their claws to rip these apart. Despite the bees' valiant efforts to protect the hive, they're basically buzzing in vain when it comes to penetrating the sun bear's fur coat.
Now, get this - they're usually daytime creatures, but throw them into human territory where they can scavenge for junk yard left-overs, and suddenly they're burning the midnight oil. Talk about adaptive survival. I think this goes without saying but if you see a Sun Bear, it’s best to stay back and leave these tree-top treat seekers to their business.
Save the Sun Bears

Sun bears are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to habitat loss, poaching, and the illegal pet trade. It is thought that the population has fallen by more than 30% in the last 30 years according to the WWF.
Persistently facing threats from forest degradation, illegal hunting for bear parts, and poaching to supply the pet trade with young cubs - young sun bears are discovered living in artificial captive environments in Sabah, deprived of access to natural outdoor habitats.
Learn more about how you can support Sun bears via Sun Bear UK.
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