Editing Sloth bear (section)

=== Reproduction ===
[[File:Sloth bear cubs by Samad Kottur.jpg|thumb|Seven-day-old bear cubs, rescued from a building site where they had been born]]
[[File:MelursusUrsinusFemaleCub.jpg|thumb|A mother with a cub on her back at the [[Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary]], India]]
The breeding season for sloth bears varies according to location: in India, they mate in April, May, and June, and give birth in December and early January, while in Sri Lanka, it occurs all year. Sows gestate for 210 days, and typically give birth in caves or in shelters under boulders. Litters usually consist of one or two cubs, or rarely three.<ref name="brown2"/> Cubs are born blind, and open their eyes after four weeks.<ref name="india"/> Sloth bear cubs develop quickly compared to most other bear species: they start walking a month after birth, become independent at 24–36 months, and become sexually mature at the age of three years. Young cubs ride on their mother's back when she walks, runs, or climbs trees until they reach a third of her size. Individual riding positions are maintained by cubs through fighting. Intervals between litters can last two to three years.<ref name="brown2"/>