|
The sun bear (''Helarctos malayanus'') is a bear found in tropical forest habitats of Southeast Asia. It is classified as Vulnerable by IUCN as the large-scale deforestation that has occurred throughout Southeast Asia over the past three decades has dramatically reduced suitable habitat for the sun bear. The global population is thought to have declined by more than 30% over the past three bear generations. The Malayan sun bear is also known as the "honey bear", which refers to its voracious appetite for honeycombs and honey.〔Lekagul, B. and J. A. McNeely (1977). ''Mammals of Thailand''. Kurusapha Ladprao Press, Bangkok.〕 However, "honey bear" can also refer to a kinkajou, which is an unrelated member of the Procyonidae. ==Characteristics== The sun bear's fur is usually jet-black, short, and sleek with some under-wool; some individual sun bears are reddish or gray. Two whirls occur on the shoulders, from where the hair radiates in all directions. A crest is seen on the sides of the neck and a whorl occurs in the centre of the breast patch. Always, a more or less crescent-shaped pale patch is found on the breast that varies individually in colour ranging from buff, cream, or dirty white to ochreous. The skin is naked on the upper lip. The tongue is long and protrusible. The ears are small and round, broad at the base, and capable of very little movement. The front legs are somewhat bowed with the paws turned inwards, and the claws are cream.〔Pocock, R. I. (1941). (The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Mammalia. – Volume 2. ) Taylor and Francis, London.〕 The sun bear is the smallest of the bears. Adults are about long and weigh . Males are 10–20% larger than females. The muzzle is short and light coloured, and in most cases the white area extends above the eyes. The paws are large, and the soles are naked, which is thought to be an adaptation for climbing trees. The claws are large, curved, and pointed.〔(Malayan Sun Bear ), Arkive〕〔Servheen, C. (1993). (''The Sun Bear'' ). Pp. 124 in: Stirling, I., Kirshner, D., Knight, F. (eds.). ''Bears, Majestic Creatures of the Wild''. Rodale Press, Emmaus, Pennsylvania.〕〔 They are sickle-shaped; the front paw claws are long and heavy. The tail is long. During feeding, the sun bear can extend the exceptionally long tongue to extract insects and honey.〔Meijaard, E. (1997). ''The Malayan Sun Bear on Borneo, with Special Emphasis on its Conservation Status in Kalimantan, Indonesia''. International Ministry of Forestry – Tropendos Kalimantan Project and World Society for the Protection of Animals, London.〕 It has very large teeth, especially canines, and high bite forces in relation to its body size, which are not well understood, but could be related to its frequent opening of tropical hardwood trees (with its powerful jaws and claws) in pursuit of insects, larvae, or honey.〔Christiansen, P. (2007). ''Evolutionary implications of bite mechanics and feeding ecology in bears''. Journal of Zoology 272 (4): 423–443.〕 The entire head is also large, broad, and heavy in proportion to the body, and the palate is wide in proportion to the skull. The overall morphology of this bear (inward turned front feet, ventrally flattened chest, powerful forelimbs with large claws) indicates adaptation for extensive climbing.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sun bear」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|