Melursus

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In biological classification, Melursus is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss and degradation. 

It has also been called "labiated bear" because of its long lower lip and palate used for sucking up insects. It has long, shaggy fur, a mane around the face, and long, sickle-shaped claws. It is lankier than brown and Asian black bears. It shares features of insectivorous mammals and evolved during the Pleistocene from the ancestral brown bear through divergent evolution.

Sloth bears breed during spring and early summer and give birth near the beginning of winter. When their territories are encroached upon by humans, they sometimes attack them. Historically, humans have drastically reduced these bears' habitat and diminished their population by hunting them for food and products such as their bacula and claws. Sloth bears have been tamed and used as performing animals and as pets.

George Shaw in 1791 named the species Bradypus ursinus. In 1793, Meyer named it Melursus lybius, and in 1817, de Blainville named it Ursus labiatus because of its long lips. Illiger named it Prochilus hirsutus, the Greek genus name indicating long lips, while the specific name noted its long and coarse hair. Fischer called it Chondrorhynchus hirsutus, while Tiedemann named it Ursus longirostris.

The body length is 140-180 cm and the weight is 80-140 kg. The female is slightly smaller. Mainly distributed in India and Sri Lanka. It likes to eat termites. It has 4 upper incisors, which are different from the 6 in other bear families. The gap formed in the middle is helpful for sucking termites. The nostrils can be closed freely to prevent termites from crawling into the nasal cavity. The claws are developed into hook shapes, like sloths. Hence the name. The coat is rich, especially on the neck. There are 4 upper incisors, which are different from the 6 in other bears. They are in heat and mate from May to July, and each litter usually contains one cub. Female bears often carry their cubs on their backs. Lifespan can reach up to 40 years. Locals have captured cubs for circus performances, pierced their noses, pulled out their teeth and claws, and put them on hot metal plates to learn to dance. At the same time, due to habitat destruction, the number is getting smaller and smaller, currently less than 20,000, and has been protected to a certain extent.