Malayan sun bear  (Helarctos malayanus)

Species information

Videos and images

Authentication

Authenticated (01/04/08) by Dr. Gabriella Fredriksson, co-chair sun bear expert team, IUCN Bear Specialist Group.

Glossary

  • Diurnal: active during the day.
  • Gestation: the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth.
  • Hibernate: hibernation isa winter survival strategy characteristic of some mammals in which an animal’s metabolic rate slows down and a state of deep sleep is attained. Whilst hibernating, animals survive on stored reserves of fat that they have accumulated in summer.
  • Larvae: stage in an animal’s lifecycle after it hatches from the egg. Larvae are typically very different in appearance to adults; they are able to feed and move around but usually are unable to reproduce.
  • Nocturnal: active at night.
  • Omnivore: an organism that feeds on both plants and animals.
  • Primary: relating to forest, forest that has remained undisturbed for a long time and has reached a mature condition.
  • Subspecies: a population usually restricted to a geographical area that differs from other populations of the same species, but not to the extent of being classified as a separate species.

References

  1. IUCN Red List (March, 2008)
    http://www.iucnredlist.org
  2. Servheen, C. (1993) The sun bear. In: Stirling, I. (Ed) Bears, Majestic Creatures of the World.Rodale Press, Emmaus, USA.
  3. Servheen, C., Herrero, S. and Peyton, B. (1999) Bears Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan.IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
  4. IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group – International Association for Bear Research and Management (April, 2008)
    http://www.bearbiology.com/iba/bears-of-the-world/sun-bear.html
  5. CITES (December, 2004)
    http://www.cites.org
  6. Fredriksson, G.M. (2008) Pers. comm.
  7. Fredriksson, G.M., Wich, S.A. and Trisno, X. (2006) Frugivory in sun bears (Helarctosmalayanus) is linked to El Niño-related fluctuations in fruiting phenology, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 89: 489 - 508.
  8. Wong, S.T., Servheen, C.W. and Ambu, L. (2002) Food habits of Malayan sun bears in lowland tropical forests of Borneo. Ursus, 13: 127 - 136.
  9. Fredriksson, G.M., Danielsen, L.S. and Swenson, J.E. (2007) Impacts of El Nino related drought and forest fires on sun bear fruit resources in lowland dipterocarp forest of East Borneo. Biodiversity and Conservation, 16 (6): 1823 - 1838.
  10. Wong, S.T., Servheen, C.W. and Ambu, L. (2004) Home range, movement and activity patterns, and bedding sites of Malayan sun bears Helarctos malayanus in the Rainforest of Borneo. Biological Conservation, 119 (2): 169 - 181.
  11. Wellington Zoo (December, 2004)
    http://www.wellingtonzoo.com/animals/animals/mammals/sunbear.html
  12. Schwarzenberger, F., Fredriksson, G., Schallerc, K. and Kolter, L. (2004) Fecal steroid analysis for monitoring reproduction in the sun bear (Helarctos malayanus). Theriogenology, 62: 1677 - 1692.
  13. Meijaard, E., Sheil, D., Nasi, R., Augeri, D., Rosenbaum, B., Iskandar, D., Setyawati, T., Lammertink, M., Rachmatika, I., Wong, A., Soehartono, T., Stanley, S. and O'Brien, T. (2005) Life after Logging: Reconciling Wildlife Conservation and Production Forestry in Indonesian Borneo.CIFOR and UNESCO, Bogor, Indonesia.
  14. Govind, V. and Ho, S. (2001) The Consumer Reporton the Trade in Bear Gall Bladder and Bear Bile Products in Singapore.Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, UK.
  15. Fredriksson G. (2005) Human–sun bear conflicts in East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. Ursus, 16 (1): 130 - 137.
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