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Sloth Bear
Melursus ursinus
Silhouette: Tracy A. Heath · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassMammalia (Mammals)
- OrderCarnivora (Carnivorans)
- FamilyUrsidae (Bears)
- GenusMelursus (Sloth Bears)
- SpeciesMelursus ursinus (Sloth Bear)
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
47 Verified sightings at Chitwan National Park From 2019 to 2026
291 In all 8 parks
March Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted
About the Sloth Bear
The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), also known as the Indian bear, 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 is the only species in the genus Melursus.
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 ursine 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... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Sloth Bear in Chitwan National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 3 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 4 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
Closest Relatives at Chitwan National Park
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Sloth Bear in Chitwan National Park?
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Sloth Bear sighting in Chitwan National Park on a given day, based on 47 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 16 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Sloth Bear in Chitwan National Park?
March
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Sloth Bear in Chitwan National Park on a given day, against about 10% in June–July and September–October, the lowest months. That is one of Chitwan National Park's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain against 660 mm in July.
What time of day is best to see a Sloth Bear?
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sloth Bear sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Is Chitwan National Park the best place to see a Sloth Bear?
3rd of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Sloth Bear sightings, Chitwan National Park ranks 3rd at about 50%. The best odds are in Wilpattu National Park (Sri Lanka, about 80%) and Yala National Park (Sri Lanka, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Which relatives of the Sloth Bear live in Chitwan National Park?
Same order: Carnivora
The closest relatives of the Sloth Bear that you can see in Chitwan National Park (order Carnivora, Carnivorans) are Tiger (about 40%), Asian Jackal (about 30%) and Indian Gray Mongoose (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Sloth Bear sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sloth Bear is recorded against all the mammals logged in Chitwan National Park (47 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
