# Sun bear (*Helarctos malayanus*)

The Sun Bear is the smallest bear in the world! They have short, sleek fur and a special yellow or white patch on their chest that looks like a sun.

- **Category:** [Mammals](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/mammal)
- **Rarity:** Rare
- **Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate
- **Habitat:** Forests
- **Also known as:** Honey Bear

![Helarctos malayanus](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Sitting_sun_bear.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Tambako The Jaguar, CC BY-SA 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sitting_sun_bear.jpg)

## Appearance

The Helarctos malayanus is the smallest bear, distinguished by its sleek, short black fur. It has a striking orange-yellow, often crescent-shaped, chest patch and a pale muzzle. Its long, sickle-shaped claws are also very noticeable.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Carnivora
- **Family:** Ursidae
- **Genus:** Helarctos

## Sun bear, up close

The sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) is the smallest of the world’s eight bears. It lives in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, from north-east India and Bangladesh through Myanmar, Thailand and Indochina to Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. It is named for the orange to cream patch on its chest. A skilled climber with long, curved claws and a very long tongue, it rips open trees and termite nests for insects and honey, and it also eats a lot of fruit.

Also called: Malayan sun bear, Beruang madu.

The smallest bear, with the longest bear tongue, a chest patch like a fingerprint and a face that copies its friends. Spin it, tap it, then test yourself.

### Special abilities

- **Honey Tongue** (20–25 cm longest tongue of any bear): The smallest bear has the longest tongue of all bears. It pushes it deep into holes in trees and insect nests to lick out honey, bee grubs and termites that its paws cannot reach. [6][4][9][2]
  - Stretched out to feed, the tongue is 20–25 cm long, about as long as a school ruler.
  - Biologist Erik Meijaard noted that the bear can roll up the sides of its tongue, so it looks almost like a tube.
  - In Malay and Indonesian the sun bear is called beruang madu, “honey bear”, because it eats honey from wild bees’ nests.
  - Not every source agrees on the length: one bear-research group gives up to 46 cm, but most accounts say 20–25 cm.
- **Termite Breaker** (≈70% of its food comes from animals, mostly insects): A sun bear smashes rotten logs and termite nests with its claws, then licks and sucks up the insects. Insects are its everyday food, and fruit is a treat when trees are ripe. [9][2][4]
  - It breaks a termite mound apart, holds pieces in its front paws and quickly licks the termites off.
  - Bear researchers estimate its diet at about 70% animals (termites, ants, beetle grubs, bee grubs) and 30% plants.
  - In Bornean forests, when fruit runs out, sun bears switch to eating even more insects.
  - By eating termites and digging for grubs, it mixes the soil and keeps termite numbers down.
- **Tree Opener** (≈10 cm claws that do the tearing; still debated): For its size, the sun bear has very big canine teeth and a strong bite. With its jaws and long claws it tears open hard tropical trees to get at bees’ nests and insects inside. [9][3][2][4]
  - Its teeth, especially the canines, are very large, and its bite is strong for such a small bear.
  - Scientists are not sure why its bite is so strong. One idea is that it helps it break into hardwood trees for insects and honey.
  - Its sickle-shaped claws are about 10 cm long and do much of the tearing.
  - The holes it rips in trunks can later become nest holes for hornbills and flying squirrels.
- **Chest Fingerprint** (1 of a kind every bear’s chest patch): No two sun bears have the same chest patch, and a bear keeps its pattern for life. That lets keepers and scientists tell individual bears apart, like reading a fingerprint. [2][4][3][9][1]
  - Most patches are a U or horseshoe, but some are round or just a few spots. They can be orange, yellow, cream or white, and a few bears have none.
  - Young cubs have a dirty-white patch that changes as they grow.
  - When threatened, a sun bear may stand up on its hind legs and show off its patch. It may make the bear look bigger.
  - The trick has a limit: a bear with almost no patch, or none at all, is much harder to recognise this way.
- **Copycat Faces** (1 second to copy a playmate’s face): When sun bears play, one bear opens its mouth in a play face and its playmate often copies it within a second, even matching the exact version. Scientists had seen such exact copying only in humans and gorillas. [7][9]
  - Researchers filmed 22 rescued sun bears at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in Sabah, Malaysia, and studied 372 play bouts.
  - Bears made two kinds of open-mouth face: one showing the upper front teeth, one without. When a bear copied, it matched the exact kind most of the time (82% and 72%).
  - Bears made these faces mostly when the other bear was looking at them, a sign that they pay attention to their audience.
  - The surprise: sun bears usually live alone. Limits: these were bears living in groups at a rescue centre, and some tests used only 10–12 bears.
- **Treetop Climber** (2–7 m up a tree to sleep or sunbathe): A sun bear is built for trees: inward-turned front feet, powerful front legs, hairless soles and long hooked claws. It climbs to feed, rest and sunbathe high above the forest floor. [9][1][3][2][4]
  - It sleeps or sunbathes 2–7 m above the ground and can cling to a trunk for hours while it feeds.
  - The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre calls it the most tree-dwelling of all bears (the spectacled bear of South America is a close rival).
  - Its small size and forward-facing eyes help as well.
  - On the ground it often rests in fallen hollow logs or under roots, and in places with few people it rests on the ground more often.
- **Tree Nest** (3 nests in one fruiting tree in Borneo): Sun bears build nests in the branches of trees. They use them to rest, sleep and sunbathe, sometimes right in the tree they are feeding in. [8][3][4][9]
  - In Central Borneo, researchers found three sun bear nests in the crown of one Canarium tree that had just finished fruiting.
  - Claw marks on the trunk suggested that a single bear had spent several days there eating the fruit.
  - The San Diego Zoo says wild sun bears build nests in branches for resting or sunbathing.
  - Mothers give birth somewhere else: in a leafy nest on the ground, a hollow log or a hollow tree.
- **Forest Gardener** (1,515 seeds in 21 droppings under one tree): Sun bears gobble fruit and swallow the seeds whole. The seeds pass through the gut and land in the bear’s droppings, sometimes far from the parent tree, where some grow into new plants. [8][1][4]
  - Under one Canarium tree in Central Borneo, researchers counted 21 droppings holding 1,515 big seeds, each about 18 mm by 16 mm.
  - Seeds that landed further from the parent tree were more likely to survive. Other droppings lay 150–400 m away along forest trails.
  - One dropping 150 m from a fruiting vine held 309 seedlings of that vine.
  - The limit: seeds passed by the bears did not sprout much better than seeds picked from the tree (74% against 63%), and the authors say gibbons and hornbills may be better seed carriers.

### Body parts

- **Chest patch** [9][2][4][3]
  - The patch that gives the bear its name. It is usually a U or horseshoe shape, but can be a circle or a few spots.
  - Its colour ranges from deep orange to ochre-yellow, cream or even white, and a few bears have no patch at all.
  - No two patches are the same, and a bear keeps its pattern for life, so people can tell bears apart by it.
- **Honey tongue** (20–25 cm when feeding) [6][4]
  - The longest tongue of any bear: 20–25 cm when it is stretched out to feed.
  - It reaches into tree holes and insect nests for honey, bee grubs, termites and ants.
- **Big canine teeth** [9]
  - Its teeth are very large for such a small bear, especially the long canines at the front.
  - Its bite is strong for its size. Nobody is sure why, but it may help it break open hard tropical wood to reach insects.
- **Pale muzzle** [9][1]
  - A short snout that is grey, silvery or faintly orange, in contrast to the jet-black head.
  - The head is large and broad for the size of the body.
- **Small round ears** [1][9]
  - Small and rounded, and small compared with its big head.
- **Forward-facing eyes** [3]
  - Small eyes that face forwards. The San Diego Zoo lists them among the features that help a sun bear climb.
- **Sickle claws** (≈10 cm long) [3][1][9]
  - Curved like a sickle and about 10 cm long. The front claws are the longest and heaviest.
  - They hook into bark for climbing and rip open trees and termite nests.
- **Pigeon-toed paws** [3][1][9]
  - Big paws that turn inwards when the bear walks, a pigeon-toed walk that suits a life in trees.
  - The soles have no fur, which may give a better grip on branches. Powerful front legs and a flattened chest help it climb too.
- **Short, sleek coat** [9][3][20]
  - The shortest fur of any bear, which suits its hot forest home. It is usually jet black.
  - The coat is still dense enough to protect against branches, falls and heavy rain.
  - Its skin is loose: if an attacker grabs it, the bear can twist round inside its skin and bite back.
- **Stubby tail** (3–7 cm long) [1][2]
  - A tiny tail, just 3–7 cm long.

### Stats

| Stat | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 25–65 kg | adults; males 10–20% bigger; About half the size of an American black bear, and the smallest of the eight bears [9][1][3] |
| Length | 1.0–1.5 m | head and body; About as long as a 10-year-old is tall [2][9][1] |
| Height | ≈70 cm | at the shoulder, on all fours; About as tall as a kitchen table [1][9] |
| Standing up | Up to ≈1.3 m | on its hind legs [12] |
| Tongue | 20–25 cm | when stretched out to feed; The longest tongue of any bear [6][4] |
| Claws | ≈10 cm | curved like a sickle; About as long as a grown-up’s finger [3][1] |
| Diet | ≈70% animal | mostly insects; the rest fruit and other plants [2] |
| Newborn | ≈300–325 g | born deaf, hairless and with eyes closed; Lighter than a can of beans [1][9] |
| Litter | 1–2 cubs | usually just one [2][3][1] |
| Oldest | 36 years | in a zoo; Nobody knows how long wild sun bears live; perhaps 10–24 years [2] |

### Photos

- [A big, mottled chest patch and long, pale claws, in the rainforest](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1_rainforest_wild_2026_sunbear.jpg) (photo: Chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [A deep orange chest patch on a female at Basel Zoo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sitting_sun_bear.jpg) (photo: Tambako The Jaguar, CC BY-SA 2.0)
- [A wild bear with a cream patch, Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sun-bear.jpg) (photo: Rushenb, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [Out walking in Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Helarctos_malayanus%2C_Sun_bear_-_Kaeng_Krachan_National_Park_(50770053781).jpg) (photo: Rushen, CC BY-SA 2.0)
- [That tongue! Reaching for a leafy snack at a zoo in the Philippines](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malayan_sun_bear.JPG) (photo: Ninjakeg, CC BY-SA 3.0)
- [Long, sickle-shaped claws and inward-turned front feet, Cleveland Zoo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Big_Claws_(4225107839).jpg) (photo: Becker1999 from Grove City, OH, CC BY 2.0)
- [Hanging on with all those claws, Burgers’ Zoo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sun_bear_(Helarctos_malayanus).jpg) (photo: Theo Kruse Burgers' Zoo, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [A Bornean sun bear on a fallen tree at Sepilok, Sabah](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sun_bear_(Helarctos_malayanus_euryspilus)_Sepilok.jpg) (photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [Play-fighting at Burgers’ Zoo: the kind of game where faces get copied](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smelly_feet%3F_Who%3F_Me%3F_No_way!_(5003769384).jpg) (photo: jinterwas from Netherlands, CC BY 2.0)

### Questions

- **Why is it called the sun bear?** Because of the orange to cream patch on its chest. Its scientific name Helarctos also means “sun bear” in Greek. [9][3]
- **Why is the sun bear called the honey bear?** In Malay and Indonesian it is beruang madu, “honey bear”, because it raids wild bees’ nests for honey. Be careful: the kinkajou of the Americas is also called a honey bear, but it is a raccoon relative, not a bear. [9][4][16]
- **Where do sun bears live?** In tropical forests of Southeast Asia: north-east India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia (Sumatra and Borneo). A sighting in 2017 confirmed them in Yunnan, China. They have died out in Singapore. [9][2]
- **What do sun bears eat?** Mostly insects, such as termites, ants, beetle grubs and bee grubs, plus honey and lots of fruit, especially figs. They sometimes eat small animals, and near farms they may raid oil palms, coconuts and bananas. [2][1][3]
- **Are sun bears active by day or by night?** Mostly by day, but they can become more active at night in places where there are many people. Older accounts described them as nocturnal. [9][2][4][1]
- **Are sun bears dangerous?** They usually avoid people and do not attack unless surprised, injured or protecting a cub. When surprised they can be fierce, and their claws and teeth are big, so always keep your distance. [9][3]
- **Can you keep a sun bear as a pet?** No. Sun bears are protected by law in nearly all of their range, and cubs quickly grow strong and hard to handle. Catching a cub usually means killing its mother, which is one reason sun bears are Vulnerable. [1][4][9]
- **How many sun bears are left?** Nobody knows. There are no reliable counts, but experts estimate the population fell by about 35% in 30 years, mainly because forests are cut down and bears are poached. [2][9][10]

### Sun bear myths and facts

Tap Myth or Fact for each claim, then check the answer.

- "Angela, the sun bear at Hangzhou Zoo that went viral in 2023, was really a person in a bear suit." **Myth!** She is a real sun bear. Sun bears often stand on their hind legs and have loose skin, so a standing bear can look like someone in baggy clothes. Sun bear expert Wong Siew Te said walking upright is normal for them and the loose skin helps protect them from predators. [12][20][3]
- "The sun bear is named after its love of sunbathing." **Not quite!** It is named for the orange or cream patch on its chest. It does sometimes sunbathe high in trees, though. [9][3][1]
- "Every sun bear has the same chest patch." **Myth!** Each patch is unique and stays the same for life. Some are orange, some cream or white, and a few bears have none. [2][4][9]
- "Sun bears sleep through the winter like brown bears." **Myth!** They do not hibernate. In tropical forests there is food all year round. [1][2][9]
- "Sun bears live mainly on honey." **Myth!** Honey is a favourite, but most of their food is insects such as termites, ants and grubs, plus fruit when it is ripe. [2][3][1]
- "Sun bears can copy each other’s facial expressions." **Fact!** In a 2019 study of 22 rescued bears, playmates often copied an open-mouth play face within a second, matching the exact version. [7]
- "The “honey bear” sold as a pet in the Americas is a small kind of sun bear." **Myth!** That honey bear is the kinkajou, a 2–4.6 kg relative of raccoons from Central and South America. It is not a bear at all. [16][17]
- "A sun bear cub makes a good pet." **Myth!** Cubs quickly grow strong and become impossible to handle. Catching a cub usually means killing its mother, and many pet bears end up in tiny cages. [1][4][5]

### A sun bear’s life

From a tiny, blind cub in a hollow tree to a grown bear ripping open logs.

- **Any month**: Born in a hollow tree. Sun bears breed all year round. After a pregnancy of about 95–110 days, usually one cub is born, weighing about 300–325 g. It is deaf, hairless and has its eyes closed. [2][1][9][3]
- **About 25 days**: Eyes open. The cub’s eyes open, but it cannot see properly until it is about 50 days old. Its hearing improves over the same weeks. [9]
- **First months**: Waiting at the tree roots. The mother keeps her cub on the big buttress roots at the foot of trees until it can walk and climb properly. She defends it fiercely. [9]
- **4–5 months**: Running and playing. The cub can now run and play, and follows its mother as she forages. [3]
- **About 18 months**: Weaned. The young bear stops drinking its mother’s milk. [3]
- **2–3 years**: On its own. The young bear leaves its mother. Sources give about two years to nearly three. [3][9]
- **2–4 years**: Grown up. Sun bears are old enough to breed at two to four years. [9][1]
- **Later years**: A long life. Wild lifespans are unknown, perhaps 10–24 years. In zoos sun bears often live over 20 years, and one reached 36. [2][9]

### Sun bear vs Asian black bear vs sloth bear

Three Asian bears with black coats and pale chest marks. Here is how to tell them apart.

| | Sun bear | Asian black bear | Sloth bear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it lives [9][14][15] | Tropical forests of Southeast Asia, Sumatra and Borneo | South and East Asia, from Afghanistan and the Himalayas to China and Vietnam | India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh |
| Chest mark [9][14][15] | Orange to cream U, circle or spots; unique to each bear | A pale V | A pale U or Y |
| Coat [9][14][15] | Short and sleek, the shortest of any bear | Long and coarse | Long and shaggy, especially over the shoulders |
| Weight [9][14][15] | 25–65 kg | Males 110–150 kg | Males 80–140 kg |
| Insect trick [6][14][15] | Very long tongue licks out termites and honey | Mostly eats plants, plus some insects | Sucks termites out of nests with its snout and can close its nostrils |
| Winter [1][14][15] | Active all year | Many hibernate | No hibernation |

In Borneo and Sumatra the sun bear is the only bear, so a wild bear there is always a sun bear.

### Sun bear records

Biggest, smallest, longest and shortest among the world’s eight bears.

- Smallest bear: Sun bear, 25–65 kg (About half the size of an American black bear.) [9][8][3]
- Longest bear tongue: Sun bear, 20–25 cm (Listed by Guinness World Records.) [6]
- Shortest bear fur: Sun bear, Shortest of all bears (A sleek coat for a hot, wet forest.) [9]
- Seeds in one feast: Sun bears under a Canarium tree, Borneo, 1,515 seeds (In 21 droppings, after several days eating the tree’s fruit.) [8]

### Is the sun bear endangered?

It is listed as Vulnerable. Its forests are being cut down, and bears are poached for their body parts and as pets.

- **IUCN Red List:** Vulnerable (VU). Nobody knows how many sun bears are left. Experts estimate that numbers fell by about 35% in 30 years, and a 2017 study warned that in island Southeast Asia, including Borneo and Sumatra, the fall could approach 50% between 2000 and 2030. [11][19][9][2][10]
- IUCN Red List: Vulnerable (assessment of 2017, still the listed category when checked on 30 October 2026). Also on CITES Appendix I since 1979, which bans international trade.
- **Threat: Disappearing forest** (≈22%): Forest loss between 2000 and 2014 may have cost the island populations about 22% of their bears. Even parks are not safe: 40% of Indonesia’s forest loss in 2000–2012 happened inside national parks and protected forests. [10][2]
- **Threat: Bile and body parts** (25% of shops): Gall bladders and paws are sold for traditional medicine and food. In Sabah and Sarawak, bear parts were on sale in 25% of 128 medicine shops surveyed in 2018–2019, and sun bears have been kept on bear-bile farms in Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. [9][13][18][4]
- **Threat: Pet trade**: Cubs are taken for pets, usually after the mother is killed. Many end up in small cages without proper care. [4][5][1]
- **Threat: Snares** (3 of 5): Wire snares are common. In one radio-collar study, three of the five bears caught were missing paws. [2]
- **Threat: Fires**: Fires lit by people, worst in El Niño drought years, burn the forest and the fruit trees bears depend on. [2][9]
- **Helping: Rescue and return** (42 bears): The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in Sabah, founded in 2008 by Wong Siew Te, cares for 42 rescued ex-captive bears, many taken as cubs for the pet trade, plus three young bears at a camp in Tabin Wildlife Reserve. Its website lists 13 bears already released. [5][21][9][12]
- **Helping: Protected by law**: Hunting sun bears is illegal in every country they live in except Sarawak (Malaysia) and Cambodia, and international trade is banned. The problem is enforcing those laws. [9][2][3]
- **Helping: A plan for the whole range**: Experts published a global sun bear status review and conservation action plan in 2019, covering the next ten years. [9][2]
- **Helping: Zoo breeding programmes**: Zoos in North America and Europe have run breeding programmes for sun bears since 1994. [9]

### Patches & family

- **Orange chest patch**: A deep orange U on a jet-black chest, under a pale grey-tan muzzle. (The look behind the name “sun bear”) [9][2]
- **Cream chest patch**: Many patches are ochre-yellow, cream or almost white instead of orange. (Same species, different patch colour) [9][1]
- **No chest patch**: A few sun bears have no chest patch at all, only the pale muzzle. (Proof that the patch varies from bear to bear) [1][9][2]
- **Mother with cub**: Usually a single cub, greyish black with a pale snout and a dirty-white chest patch. It stays with its mother for about two years or more. (Cubs are born tiny, about 300 g) [2][9][3]

### Sun bear quiz

1. Which is the smallest of the world’s eight bears? **The sun bear.** Adult sun bears weigh just 25–65 kg, about half the size of an American black bear. [9][3]
2. What gives the sun bear its name? **The orange or cream patch on its chest.** The sun bear is named for the orange to cream patch on its chest. [9][3]
3. How long is a sun bear’s tongue when it feeds? **About 20–25 cm.** It is the longest tongue of any bear, used for honey, grubs and termites. [6]
4. Why can people tell individual sun bears apart? **Each chest patch is unique.** No two chest patches are the same, and a bear keeps its pattern for life. [2][4]
5. What did the 2019 study find sun bears copy? **Each other’s facial expressions.** Playmates often copied an open-mouth play face within a second, matching the exact version. [7]
6. Where do sun bears often rest, sleep or sunbathe? **In trees, 2–7 m above the ground.** They climb up and rest on branches or in nests of bent branches. [9][3]
7. What do sun bears mostly eat? **Insects such as termites and ants, plus fruit.** About 70% of their food comes from animals, mostly insects. Fruit is eaten when it is ripe. [2][3]
8. How do sun bears help the forest grow? **They spread seeds in their droppings.** In Borneo, 21 droppings under one tree held 1,515 seeds, and some grew into seedlings. [8]
9. Which animal is also called a “honey bear” but is not a bear at all? **The kinkajou.** The kinkajou is a raccoon relative from Central and South America. [16]
10. Which way do a sun bear’s front feet turn when it walks? **Inwards.** Its pigeon-toed walk is an adaptation to life in trees. [3][1]
11. Do sun bears hibernate? **No, they stay active all year.** Their tropical forests have food all year round. [1][2]
12. What is the sun bear’s conservation status? **Vulnerable.** It is listed as Vulnerable because of forest loss, poaching and the pet trade. [11][2]

### Sources (checked 2026-10-30)

1. [Bies L (2007). Helarctos malayanus (sun bear). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Helarctos_malayanus/)
2. [International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA). Helarctos malayanus (sun bear).](https://www.bearbiology.org/the-eight-bear-species/helarctos-malayanus-sun-bear/)
3. [San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Animals and Plants: Sun bear.](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/sun-bear)
4. [Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. Sun bear’s facts.](https://www.bsbcc.org.my/sun-bear-facts)
5. [Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. Home page (rescued bears, location, pet trade).](https://www.bsbcc.org.my/)
6. [Guinness World Records. Longest tongue on a bear.](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/544278-longest-tongue-on-a-bear)
7. [Taylor D, Hartmann D, Dezecache G, Te Wong S, Davila-Ross M (2019). Facial complexity in sun bears: exact facial mimicry and social sensitivity. Scientific Reports 9: 4961.](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6428817/)
8. [McConkey K, Galetti M (1999). Seed dispersal by the sun bear Helarctos malayanus in Central Borneo. Journal of Tropical Ecology 15: 237–241.](https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467499000784)
9. [Wikipedia. Sun bear (accessed 30 Oct 2026; used for range, anatomy, bite force, breeding, threats and conservation, each traced to the references it cites).](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_bear)
10. [Scotson L, Fredriksson G, Ngoprasert D, Wong WM, Fieberg J (2017). Projecting range-wide sun bear population trends using tree cover and camera-trap bycatch data. PLOS ONE 12(9): e0185336.](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5621681/)
11. [GBIF. Helarctos malayanus (Raffles, 1821): IUCN Red List category Vulnerable (IUCN taxon 9760), checked 30 Oct 2026.](https://www.gbif.org/species/2433403)
12. [Global News (2023, 1 Aug). Chinese zoo insists its sun bear is not a human in a costume.](https://globalnews.ca/news/9869407/sun-bear-chinese-zoo-human-costume)
13. [TRAFFIC (2011, 23 May). Illegal bear bile trade rampant in Asia (news release on Foley KE, Stengel CJ, Shepherd CR: Pills, powders, vials and flakes), via Scoop.](https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1105/S00232/illegal-bear-bile-trade-rampant-in-asia.htm)
14. [Goodness T (2004). Ursus thibetanus (Asiatic black bear). Animal Diversity Web.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ursus_thibetanus/)
15. [Bies L (2002). Melursus ursinus (sloth bear). Animal Diversity Web.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Melursus_ursinus/)
16. [Wikipedia. Kinkajou (accessed 30 Oct 2026).](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinkajou)
17. [Rehder D (2007). Potos flavus (kinkajou). Animal Diversity Web.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Potos_flavus/)
18. [Foley KE, Stengel CJ, Shepherd CR (2011). Pills, powders, vials and flakes: the bear bile trade in Asia. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia (report page).](https://www.traffic.org/publications/reports/pills-powders-vials-flakes-the-bear-bile-trade-in-asia)
19. [Wikidata. Helarctos malayanus (Q144923): IUCN conservation status Vulnerable, IUCN taxon 9760 (checked 30 Oct 2026).](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q144923)
20. [Mental Floss (2023). Hangzhou Zoo’s sun bear looks human, with comments from Wong Siew Te.](https://www.mentalfloss.com/animals/zoos/hangzhou-zoo-china-sun-bear-looks-human)
21. [Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. Meet our bears (current, released and past bears).](https://www.bsbcc.org.my/meet-our-bears)

## Measurements & details

- **Length:** 100-150 cm
- **Weight:** 25-65 kg
- **Lifespan:** 20-28 years
- **Speed:** 48 km/h
- **Litter Size:** 1-2
- **Gestation:** 95-100 days

## Diet & Feeding

Sun bears are omnivores, eating everything from insects and honey to fruits and small animals.

- **Primary Foods:** Honey, Termites, Fruit, Beetle larvae, Small vertebrates
- **Foraging Method:** Foraging

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** [Tiger](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tiger) (*Panthera tigris*) — Adult sun bears are sometimes hunted by tigers.
- **Eats:** Giant Honey Bee (*Apis dorsata*) — Consumes honey and larvae from large nests.
- **Eats:** Banyan Fig (*Ficus altissima*) — Feeds on ripe figs, dispersing their seeds.
- **Eats:** [Termite](https://www.snappit.app/explore/termite) (*Macrotermes gilvus*) — Digs into nests to consume termite larvae and adults.

## Traits

- [Furry](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/furry): Furry describes animals possessing a dense covering of soft hair or fur.
- [Spotted](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spotted): Marked with spots or patches of a different color.
- [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.
- [Omnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/omnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet includes both plant and animal matter.
- [Arboreal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/arboreal): Arboreal animals live primarily in trees, utilizing them for shelter, food, and protection from predators.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Nocturnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nocturnal): Nocturnal animals are primarily active during the nighttime hours, typically resting or sleeping during the day.
- [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.

## Collections

- [Mammals](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/mammals)

## Safety

**Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate

Sun Bears are wild animals and should be admired from a distance.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Sun bear?

Compare ears, muzzle, tail, feet and coat markings. Size is hard to judge without something nearby for scale, and young mammals may not have adult coloring yet. Mammal Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How long is Sun bear?

100-150 cm

### How much does Sun bear weigh?

25-65 kg

### How long does Sun bear live?

20-28 years

### How fast can Sun bear move?

48 km/h

### What does Sun bear eat?

Sun bears are omnivores, eating everything from insects and honey to fruits and small animals.

### Where is Sun bear usually found?

Forests

### How does Sun bear hunt?

Foraging

## Where to spot

- [Tierpark Berlin](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/tierpark-berlin) — Berlin, DE · Zoo

## More Mammals

- [Eastern Fox Squirrel](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-fox-squirrel) (*Sciurus niger*)
- [Eastern Cottontail](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-cottontail) (*Sylvilagus floridanus*)
- [Eastern Chipmunk](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-chipmunk) (*Tamias striatus*)
- [California Ground Squirrel](https://www.snappit.app/explore/california-ground-squirrel) (*Otospermophilus beecheyi*)

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Source: [Sun bear: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/helarctos-malayanus)