# Sloth bear (*Melursus ursinus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/sloth-bear  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) is a mammal in the bear family Ursidae, part of the order Carnivora. It is a nocturnal, terrestrial invertivore whose main foods are formicidae and termite, and its habitats are forest and grassland. Adults have a representative body mass of 93 kg and weigh up to 100 kg, which places the sloth bear in the large size class. The sloth bear is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 93.1 kg – 100 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 36.7 years – 40 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Main food | formicidae, termite |
| Habitat | forest, grassland |
| Gestation | 198 days – 211 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.54 |
| Age at maturity | 3 years – 3.23 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.63 |
| Reproduction | Live birth |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Ursidae
- genus: Melursus
- species: *Melursus ursinus* (Shaw, 1791)

Synonyms: *Bradypus ursinus*

## Common questions

### What does the sloth bear eat?

The sloth bear is an invertivore whose main foods are formicidae and termite.

### How heavy is a sloth bear?

Adult sloth bears have a representative body mass of 93 kg and weigh up to 100 kg.

### Is the sloth bear endangered?

The sloth bear is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.

### How long does a sloth bear live?

Sources give a lifespan of 36.65 years for the sloth bear, with values up to 40 years.

### What kind of animal is the sloth bear?

The sloth bear is a mammal and a bear in the family Ursidae, order Carnivora.

### What are other names for the sloth bear?

Other English names for the sloth bear are Bear-sloth, Stickney bear and Labiated bear.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/sloth-bear