The Malayan bear has the longest tongue. Malayan bear - the smallest bear in the world (9 photos)

Malayan bear recognized in his homeland as an alien, although only one individual. In 2016, residents of one of the villages near Brunei beat a clubfoot with sticks, mistaking him for an alien.

He was emaciated and had no fur. Against this background, the animal’s claws seemed even larger. Having knocked the bear unconscious, the Malays called the news people. They brought with them a zoologist, who identified the “alien.”

Malayan bear

The veterinary clinic found out that the cause of the animal’s baldness was a tick infection coupled with a mild form of anemia and a skin infection. cured and released into their natural habitat. Now the beast looks classic.

Description and features of the Malayan bear

In Latin the species is called helarcos. Translation: “sun bear”. The reason for the name is the golden spot on the animal’s chest. The mark resembles the rising Sun. The muzzle of the Malayan bear is also painted golden beige. The rest of the body is almost black. Among other Malayan bears there are:

1. Miniature. The height of the animal at the withers does not exceed 70 centimeters. The length of the beast reaches one and a half meters. That's why in the photo there is a Malayan bear looks elongated, slightly awkward. The animal weighs a maximum of 65 kilograms.
2. Sticky and long tongue. The animal uses it to obtain honey and penetrate termite mounds, feasting on their inhabitants.
3. Sharper and larger fangs than other bears. With them, the clubfoot literally eats into the bark, removing insects from under it.
4. Small and blind eyes of blue color. The lack of vision is compensated by hearing and smell. However, not seeing approaching objects, the animal often attacks them, noticing them as they approach. This is associated with an aggressive disposition. Malayan bear. Weight the animal is small, but the animal can cause significant damage.
5. Round small ears. They are set wide apart. The length of the auricle does not exceed 6 centimeters, and is usually limited to four.
6. Wide, short muzzle.
7. Long, curved and sharp claws. This makes it easier to grab onto trunks when climbing them.
8. Skin folds on the neck. This is a defense mechanism against tigers and leopards encroaching on bears. They are used to grabbing victims by the neck. Cats cannot bite through the skin of the Malayan bear. In addition, the coverings on the clubfoot’s neck stretch. This allows the bear to turn its head and bite the offender in response.
9. The front paws are the most crooked among bears. This is an adaptation to climbing trees.
10. Short hair. The animal does not need to grow a fur coat in tropical conditions.
11. Maximum degree of cephalization. This is the name given to the separation of the head and the inclusion in it of segments that are found in the body in other animals. In other words, the Malayan clubfoot has the most developed head section. This makes the animal stand out not only among bears, but also among terrestrial predators in general.

In the homeland of the beast they call it biruang. The name is translated as “-dog”. Associations with the small size of the animal played a role. It is comparable in size to big dog. This also allows the Malays to keep biruangs in their yards as guards. Like dogs, bears are kept on chains.

Lifestyle and habitat

Live what does a Malayan bear look like? can be seen on the island of Borneo. It is geographically divided by India, Indonesia and Thailand. The main population is concentrated here. There are fewer bears in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and the island of Sumatra. One animal once wandered into the south of China, into the Yunnan province. Distinctive features of the Malayan bears' lifestyle are:

• tendency to spend most of the time in trees
• solitary lifestyle with the exception of female bears with their offspring, who stay together
• lack of mating season boundaries, which is associated with a warm climate
• nocturnal, during the day the animal dozes in the branches of trees
• no hibernation period
• tendency to build large nests of leaves and branches in trees
• love of tropical and subtropical areas

Falling into captivity malayan bear or biruang easy to train. This has a lot to do with the animal's developed brain.

Malayan bear sleeping

Types of Malayan bear

Malayan bears are divided into subspecies conditionally. There are 2 classifications. The first is based on the size of the clubfoot:

1. Mainland individuals are larger.
2. Island Malayan bears are the smallest.

The second classification is related to the color of animals:

1. There is a light spot on the chest. Such individuals predominate.
2. There are bears without a sun mark. These are the exception to the rule. On the entire island of Borneo, for example, only one clubfoot without a spot was found. This one was found in Eastern Sabah.

There is also a division based on the cheek teeth. They are larger in continental individuals. Therefore, the classifications seem to merge.

The Malayan bear has a very long tongue

Animal nutrition

Like most bears, the Malayan is omnivorous. The animal's daily diet includes:

• termites;
• ants;
• wild bees and their larvae;
• palm sprouts;
• lizards;
• small birds;
• small mammals;
• bananas.

They eat Malayan clubfoot and other fruits of the tropics, but most of all they love honey. Therefore, representatives of the species are also called honey bears.

Malayan bear cubs

Reproduction and lifespan

Before mating, the male courts the female for 2 weeks. Only then does the female condescend to make contact. Several days pass between it and the onset of pregnancy. The female bear bears her offspring for another 200 days, giving birth to 1-3 offspring. They:

• blind
• weigh maximum 300 grams
• not completely covered with fur

There, Where does the Malayan bear live?, he becomes sexually mature by 3-5 years. The animal spends two of them with its mother. The cubs feed on its milk until they are 4 months old. For two months the mother actively licks her offspring. Tongue pressure stimulates the cubs' urinary and digestive functions.

Malayan bear female and cub

2-3 months after birth, the cubs are already able to run, go hunting with their mother, learning from her the wild life. If kept in captivity, the Malayan can live up to 25 years. In the natural environment, clubfooted species rarely surpass the 18-year mark.

The Malayan bear is listed in the International Red Book. The population of the species is rapidly declining, in particular due to hunting. Local population considers the bile and liver of the beast to be healing elixirs for all diseases. In addition, the clubfoot’s natural habitat, that is, tropical forests, is being destroyed.

The Malayan bear is modest in size by bear standards and is the smallest bear on Earth. It lives in several Asian countries, climbs trees well and eats completely different foods. It hunts at night, sleeps during the day, and also knows how to build nests.

What is a Malayan bear?

You rarely hear about a bear with this name. This is because its habitat is very limited. Malayan bears live in the northeastern part of India, parts of China, Thailand, the Indochina Peninsula and Malacca. Also found in Indonesia. A subspecies of the Malayan bear lives on the island of Borneo.

The body length of this animal is no more than one and a half meters. Height – up to 70 centimeters. Despite its modest size by bear standards, the Malayan bear is very strong, has a stocky, muscular body and very large claws.

Its coat is characterized by short hair length, stiffness and a smooth surface. The vast majority of Malayan bears are black in color, which fades to a yellowish color on the animal's face.

What does the Malayan bear eat?

The bear's diet is extremely varied - it is omnivorous. But the bulk of the food consists of various insects. Biruang hunts for bees and termites, digs up earthworms, and catches mice and lizards. One of the characteristics of the Malayan bear is its unusual language. It is very long and serves to pull out termites from the passages of their nests, as well as honey from bee hives. This technology for extracting food using a long tongue is similar to that of woodpeckers.

In addition to animal food, biruang loves to feast on plant “dishes”. For example, shoots of young plants, roots, all kinds of fruits. The bear's powerful teeth allow it to bite even coconuts. Finally, the biruang does not disdain carrion and often eats what is left after the tigers' feasts.

Lifestyle of the Malayan bear

The Malayan bear spends almost all its time in trees. Strong strong paws and huge, downward-curved claws allow him to climb branches without hindrance. Interesting feature biruanga is the ability to create peculiar “nests” from leaves and branches. The bear spends the daytime in them, basking in the sun. The hunting period begins with the onset of darkness.

The Malayan bear has a very secretive lifestyle. It is not so easy to see, especially considering that there are few such bears left on the planet. At one time, people caused great damage to the biruang population by extracting their skins, gall bladder and heart, used in traditional Asian medicine. On this moment Biruang is listed in the Red Book.

The Malayan bear, despite its purely wild existence, can nevertheless live in captivity. In some Asian countries there are true domesticated biruangs. They quickly adapt to new conditions and can live up to 25 years in captivity.

Biruang is often considered one of the most dangerous bears in the world, as, despite its small stature, it is distinguished by its ferocious character and excellent fighting qualities. However, Asians think differently and even successfully train Biruangs. Understanding the habits of this bear, they tame it, resulting in the formation of entire farms.

Biruang - an animal listed in the Red Book

However, the biruang remains the smallest bear species on the planet and requires comprehensive protection from extermination by humans. In addition to restricting hunting, there is also a strong need to preserve its natural habitat - trees and thickets in its habitat. Since it is often the destruction of forests that leads to the delayed extinction of entire species of wild animals and birds.

The Malayan bear, biruang, honey or sun bear gets its name from the round white or orange spot located on its chest.

Appearance of the Malayan bear

The Malayan bear is the smallest member of the bear family. Its height is up to 1.5 cm, and weighs up to 65 kg. - males, and females are on average 10% smaller than males. The biruang has a short tail of 3-7 cm, small, round ears, and a long tongue.

Malayan bears have very large, sickle-shaped claws. They have large paws with bare soles that help them climb trees successfully. Of all the species of bears, biruangas are the ones that love trees the most. Locals call them "basindo nan tenggil", which translates to "one who likes to sit high."

Unlike other bears, the biruang has short, hard, and smooth fur. This is due to the warm climate in which Malayan bears live. The color is black, on the chest there is usually a large light spot in the form of a horseshoe, reminiscent in shape rising Sun.

The bear makes grunting and sniffling sounds when searching for adult insects and their larvae. Sometimes he roars loudly.

There is a lot of loose skin on the biruang's neck, so if grabbed by the neck, it can turn around and bite the offender.

Distribution of the Malayan bear

The Malayan bear lives in Thailand, Indonesia, southern China and India. The biruang lives on flat surfaces and in forests of the subtropics and tropics. The Malayan bear is also found in swampy low forests and more mountainous areas.

Lifestyle of the Malayan bear

Being adapted to climbing trees, Malayan bears can bask in the sun on trees all day long, eating succulent leaves along the way. For their convenience, they roll up the branches, creating something resembling a nest.

Malayan bears walk interestingly because they turn all their paws inward. Because sun bears live primarily in tropical areas, they do not hibernate during the winter.
Sun bears are typically nocturnal creatures that primarily spend their lives in trees. This helps them hide from predators and enjoy something tasty.

Despite their size, biruangs are very aggressive; even tigers avoid them. However, this opinion is very stereotypical and exists only in Western countries. In Asia, the Malayan bear is not considered dangerous; moreover, it is tamed and kept as a pet. Bears of this species are relatively easy to train. Only mothers who protect their children and provoked angry individuals are dangerous to people. It is known that in battle the Malayan bear is truly fearless and fights with all its might, striving to win at any cost.

The maximum lifespan of a Malayan bear in captivity is 24 years.

Malayan bear nutrition

A distinctive feature of the sun bear is its long tongue, the length of its tongue reaches 30 centimeters, which is distinguished by special sticky properties. Such a tongue allows him to easily reach termites, which he enjoys feasting on. The Malayan bear also loves to eat honey from forest bees.

You can see the bear eating bananas, cocoa or coconut palm sprouts. The animal has strong paws and strong teeth - this helps even to open coconuts without difficulty. The bear also feeds on small birds, rodents, lizards and carrion.

Living close to humans, these bears destroy landfills and plantations.

Reproductionmalayan bear

Malayan bears lead a solitary lifestyle, with the exception of mothers with cubs and the mating season.

Biruang is a monogamous species. The mating season lasts from two days to a week, during which the mating couple is registered. In this case, the male and female engage in characteristic ritual behavior, such as hugging, fake (play) wrestling and jumping.

Mating is observed at all times of the year, indicating the absence of a regular mating season.

At the Berlin Zoo, the Biruang gave birth twice a year, first in April and then in August, but this is rare.

Puberty occurs between 3 and 5 years of age.

The gestation period lasts approximately 95 days, but there is evidence of delayed implantation of the fertilized egg. Thus, at the Fort Worth Zoo, three pregnancies of bears of this species lasted 174, 228, and 240 days.

The female usually brings 1-2, and sometimes 3 cubs, which are born in some secluded place on the ground, in a specially prepared nest. Babies are born blind, naked and helpless, weighing about 300 grams.

The survival of newly born cubs depends entirely on their mother. Cubs require external stimulation of their excretory systems for normal urination and bowel cleansing during the first 2 months. In nature, this stimulation is provided by the female through licking, and in captivity, cubs must be washed several times a day to stimulate excretion.

Cubs develop quickly, and within two or three months they can already run, play and feed with their mother, but continue to feed on mother's milk up to 4 months. The babies' skin is grey-black with a dirty white U-shaped mark on the chest and a whitish or pale brown muzzle. Their eyes begin to open by 25 days of age, but they develop full vision only by 50 days. By this time they begin to hear. Primary canines appear at 7 months, and a full adult set of teeth is acquired at 18 months.
From their mother, cubs must learn what is suitable to eat, where to find food and how to get it. Cubs usually stay with their mother for 1.5-2.5 years.

Population status and conservation of the Malayan bear

The Malayan bear is listed in the International Red Book as one of the rarest bears. The exact number of individuals found in nature is not known, but there is evidence that their numbers are decreasing every year. Habitat destruction forces these bears to live in smaller and more isolated areas. Poachers hunt biruangs to sell their internal organs, although all international trade is prohibited.

; the only species of the genus.

Appearance

The Malayan bear is the smallest representative of the bear family: it does not exceed 1.5 m in length (plus a 3-7 cm tail), the height at the withers is only 50-70 cm; weight 27-65 kg. Males are 10-20% larger than females. It is a stocky, strong animal with a short and wide muzzle. The ears are short and rounded. The limbs are high with disproportionately large paws; the claws are very large, curved. Feet are bare. The fangs are small; The molars are small and flattened.

The biruang's fur is short, stiff and smooth. The color is black, on the muzzle it turns into roan-yellow. Sometimes the limbs are also light brown. On the chest there is usually a large whitish or red spot in the shape of a horseshoe, reminiscent in shape and color of the rising sun (hence the scientific name of the genus - Helarctos, "sun bear").

Spreading

Biruang is distributed from northeastern India (Assam) and possibly southern China (Sichuan) through Myanmar, Thailand, the Indochina and Malacca peninsulas to Indonesia (Sumatra and Kalimantan). A subspecies lives on the island of Borneo Helarctos malayanus euryspilus.

Captive

This type of bear is kept and bred in bear bile extraction farms.

Lifestyle and nutrition

This bear lives in the tropical and subtropical forests of the foothills and mountains of Southeast Asia. It is well adapted to climbing trees and, being a nocturnal animal, often spends its days sleeping or taking sunbathing in the branches of trees, where it builds a kind of nest for itself. Here he feeds on leaves and fruits, breaking branches as a Himalayan bear does. Does not hibernate.

Biruang is omnivorous. It feeds mainly on insects (bees, termites) and earthworms, as well as shoots, rhizomes and fruits of plants. The long thin tongue helps the biruang to extract termites from nests and honey. In addition, biruangs eat small rodents, birds and lizards, as well as carrion left over from tigers' meals. In densely populated areas, it can rummage through garbage, attack livestock and destroy plantations (bananas, coconut palms). Powerful jaws allow it to crack coconuts.

Despite its small weight, on average about 45 kg, it is a rather dangerous predator, which even the tiger tries to avoid.

Reproduction

After 95 days of pregnancy, the female gives birth to 1-2 cubs. Pregnancy may have a latent stage - in this case it lasts for 174-240 days. Newborns are blind and hairless and weigh only 300 g. Cubs remain with their mother until about 3 years of age.

The lifespan of a biruang (in captivity) is up to 24 years.

Population status

Biruangs are one of the rarest species of bears. This species is listed in the International Red Book with the status “Vulnerable” (Vulnerable). It is also included in Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Their exact number is unknown.

It is often kept in captivity and even as a pet. The heart and gall bladder of biruang are used in traditional Asian medicine.

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Notes

Links

• (English) . . - Photos taken as part of a project supervised by. Retrieved January 1, 2013.

An excerpt characterizing the Malayan bear

- A persuader is a brother to the cause. “As I said by Friday, I did so,” said Plato, smiling and unfolding the shirt he had sewn.
The Frenchman looked around uneasily and, as if overcoming doubt, quickly took off his uniform and put on his shirt. Under his uniform the Frenchman did not have a shirt, but on his bare, yellow, thin body he wore a long, greasy, silk vest with flowers. The Frenchman, apparently, was afraid that the prisoners looking at him would laugh, and hastily stuck his head into his shirt. None of the prisoners said a word.
“Look, just right,” Plato said, pulling off his shirt. The Frenchman, sticking his head and hands through, without raising his eyes, looked at his shirt and examined the seam.
- Well, falcon, this is not a trash, and there is no real instrument; “But it’s said: without gear you can’t even kill a lice,” said Plato, smiling roundly and, apparently, rejoicing at his work.
- C "est bien, c" est bien, merci, mais vous devez avoir de la toile de reste? [Okay, okay, thank you, but where is the canvas, what’s left?] - said the Frenchman.
“It will be even better the way you put it on your body,” said Karataev, continuing to rejoice at his work. - That will be good and pleasant.
“Merci, merci, mon vieux, le reste?..” repeated the Frenchman, smiling, and, taking out a banknote, gave it to Karataev, “mais le reste... [Thank you, thank you, dear, but where is the rest?.. Give me the rest. ]
Pierre saw that Plato did not want to understand what the Frenchman was saying, and, without interfering, looked at them. Karataev thanked him for the money and continued to admire his work. The Frenchman insisted on the remainder and asked Pierre to translate what he was saying.
- What does he need the leftovers for? - said Karataev. “They would have given us some important little extras.” Well, God bless him. - And Karataev, with a suddenly changed, sad face, took out a bundle of scraps from his bosom and, without looking at it, handed it to the Frenchman. - Ehma! - Karataev said and went back. The Frenchman looked at the canvas, thought about it, looked questioningly at Pierre, and as if Pierre’s gaze told him something.
“Platoche, dites donc, Platoche,” suddenly blushing, the Frenchman shouted in a squeaky voice. – Gardez pour vous, [Platosh, and Platosh. Take it for yourself.] - he said, handing over the scraps, turned and left.
“Here you go,” Karataev said, shaking his head. - They say that they are not Christ, but they also have a soul. The old men used to say: a sweaty hand is a bit too hard, a dry hand is stubborn. He himself is naked, but he gave it away. – Karataev, smiling thoughtfully and looking at the scraps, was silent for some time. “And the important ones, my friend, will be blown out,” he said and returned to the booth.

Four weeks have passed since Pierre was captured. Despite the fact that the French offered to transfer him from a soldier's booth to an officer's booth, he remained in the booth he entered from the first day.
In devastated and burned Moscow, Pierre experienced almost the extreme limits of hardship that a person can endure; but, thanks to his strong constitution and health, which he had not been aware of until now, and especially due to the fact that these deprivations approached so imperceptibly that it was impossible to say when they began, he endured his situation not only easily, but also joyfully . And it was at this very time that he received that peace and self-satisfaction for which he had vainly strived before. For a long time in his life he was looking from different sides for this peace, agreement with himself, for what struck him so much in the soldiers at the Battle of Borodino - he looked for this in philanthropy, in Freemasonry, in the dispersion of social life, in wine, in heroic deeds self-sacrifice, in romantic love for Natasha; he sought this through thought, and all these searches and attempts all deceived him. And he, without thinking about it, received this peace and this agreement with himself only through the horror of death, through deprivation and through what he understood in Karataev. Those terrible minutes that he experienced during the execution seemed to have washed away forever from his imagination and memories the disturbing thoughts and feelings that had previously seemed important to him. Not even a thought came to him about Russia, or the war, or politics, or Napoleon. It was obvious to him that all this did not concern him, that he was not called and therefore could not judge all this. “No time for Russia, no union,” he repeated Karataev’s words, and these words strangely reassured him. His intention to kill Napoleon and his calculations about the cabalistic number and the beast of the Apocalypse now seemed incomprehensible and even ridiculous to him. His anger against his wife and anxiety about not disgracing his name now seemed to him not only insignificant, but funny. What did he care about the fact that this woman was leading the life she liked somewhere out there? Who, especially him, cared whether they found out or didn’t find out that the name of their prisoner was Count Bezukhov?

In this story we will talk about the Malayan bear - the smallest and rarest bear in the world.

The Malayan bear, sun bear, honey bear or biruang is the smallest member of the bear family. Its height does not exceed 1.5 m, and its weight ranges from 25 to 65 kg. Despite its small size, the biruanga is considered perhaps the most ferocious bear in the world. However, this opinion is very stereotypical and exists only in Western countries. In Asia, the Malayan bear is not considered dangerous; moreover, it is tamed and kept as a pet. Bears of this species are relatively easy to train. Only mothers who protect their children and provoked angry individuals are dangerous to people. It is known that in battle the Malayan bear is truly fearless and fights with all its might, striving to win at any cost.










Malayan bears have very large, sickle-shaped claws. They have large paws with bare soles that help them climb trees successfully. Of all the species of bears, biruangas are the ones that love trees the most. Locals call them "basindo nan tenggil", which translates to "one who likes to sit high." Being nocturnal animals, these bears can sleep all day or lie on tree branches. Here they build a kind of nest for themselves and feed on leaves and fruits. By the way, Malayan bears do not hibernate.
















Malayan bears are omnivores. They mainly feed on insects, earthworms, shoots, fruits and rhizomes of various plants. An unusually long (20-25 cm), thin and sticky tongue helps the Malayan bear extract honey from beehives. Hence one of its names is “honey bear”. By the way, biruang, on occasion, is not averse to enjoying not only honey, but also the bees themselves. Sometimes Malayan bears also eat lizards, small mammals and birds. Powerful jaws allow them to easily crack coconuts.










Malayan bears are common in northeast India, southern China, Myanmar, Thailand, the Indochina Peninsula, Borneo and Indonesia.
Unlike other bears, the biruang has short, hard, and smooth fur. This is due to the warm climate in which Malayan bears live. The color is black, on the chest there is usually a large light spot in the shape of a horseshoe, resembling the shape of a rising sun. This is where the name of the genus comes from - Helarctos (from Greek hela - sun, arcto - bear), i.e. sun bear.







Life expectancy (in captivity) is up to 25 years. IN wildlife Malayan bears are still poorly studied, but it is safe to say that in captivity they live much longer.
The gait of the Malayan bear is interesting - all four paws turn inward when walking. Really, clubfoot!
The vision of Malayan bears leaves much to be desired. This deficiency is compensated by an excellent hearing and sense of smell.



The main enemy for the Malayan bear was and remains man. As mentioned above, biruangs are extremely strong in battle, and therefore other predators try to avoid them. Sometimes there are clashes with tigers and leopards. As you know, large predators most often try to grab their prey by the throat. Thanks to the very loose skin on the neck, Malayan bears can “slip” out of the teeth of a conventional tiger or leopard and strike back.
Humans have caused enormous damage to the Malayan bear population. The Chinese, 5 thousand years ago, began to use bear bile in their traditional medicine for the treatment of serious bacterial infections. On the island of Borneo, hats are made from animal fur. Trophy hunting for the Malayan bear is popular. Farmers shoot bears because they can cause damage to their banana and coconut plantations. At the moment, biruangs are the rarest species of bear and are listed in the International Red Book. It is known that every year the number of Malayan bears in the world decreases.