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Sloth bear
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=== Relationships with other animals === The large canine teeth of sloth bears, relative to both its overall body size and to the size of the canine teeth of other bear species, and the aggressive disposition of sloth bears, may be a defense in interactions with large, dangerous animals, such as the [[tiger]], [[elephant]], and [[rhinoceros]], as well as prehistoric species such as [[Megantereon]].<ref>[[#Servheen|Servheen]], pp. 226β7</ref> [[Bengal tiger]]s occasionally prey on sloth bears. Tigers usually give sloth bears a wide berth, though some specimens may become habitual bear killers,<ref name="DHOLE">{{cite book |author=Mills, Stephen |title=Tiger |year=2004 |page=168 |isbn=1-55297-949-0 |publisher=Firefly Books |location=Richmond Hill, Ontario}}</ref> and it is not uncommon to find sloth bear fur in tiger scats.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090313110305/http://web.me.com/dattatri/shekardattatri/wow_moments.html Tigers eat sloth bears, don't they?]</ref> Tigers typically hunt sloth bears by waiting for them near termite mounds, then creeping behind them and seizing them by the back of their necks and forcing them to the ground with their weight.<ref name="perry"/> One tiger was reported to simply break its victim's back with its paw, then wait for the paralysed bear to exhaust itself trying to escape before going in for the kill.<ref name="DHOLE"/> When confronted by tigers face to face, sloth bears charge at them, crying loudly. A young or already sated tiger usually retreats from an assertive sloth bear, as the bear's claws can inflict serious wounds, and most tigers end the hunt if the bears become aware of the tiger's presence before the pounce.<ref name="perry"/> Sloth bears may scavenge on tiger kills.<ref>Schaller, George B. (1984) ''The Deer and the Tiger: A Study of Wildlife in India'', Midway Reprint, [[University of Chicago Press]], {{ISBN|0-226-73631-8}}</ref> As tigers are known to mimic the calls of [[sambar deer]] to attract them, sloth bears react fearfully even to the sounds made by deer themselves.<ref name="perry">{{cite book |author=Perry, Richard |title=The World of the Tiger |year=1965 |page=260 |id=ASIN: B0007DU2IU}}</ref> In 2011, a female bear with cubs was observed to stand her ground and prevail in a confrontation against two tigers (one female, one male) in rapid succession.<ref>[http://www.dickysingh.com/2011/04/bear-tiger-confrontation-10-pics-that-tell-a-story/ Bear Tiger confrontation β 10 pics that tell a story] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827112158/http://www.dickysingh.com/2011/04/bear-tiger-confrontation-10-pics-that-tell-a-story/ |date=27 August 2011 }}. Dickysingh.com (10 April 2011). Retrieved on 26 September 2011.</ref> Besides tigers there are few predators of sloth bears. [[Leopard]]s can also be a threat, as they are able to follow sloth bears up trees.<ref name="hadley"/> Bear cubs are probably far more vulnerable and healthy adult bears may be avoided by leopards. One leopard killed a three-quarters grown female sloth bear in an apparently lengthy fight that culminated in the trees. Apparently, a sloth bear killed a leopard in a confrontation in [[Yala National Park]], [[Sri Lanka]], but was itself badly injured in the fight and was subsequently put down by park rangers.<ref>Baskaran, N., Sivaganesan, N., & Krishnamoorthy, J. (1997). ''Food habits of sloth bear in Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, southern India''. JOURNAL-BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 94, 1β9.</ref><ref>Kurt, F., & Jayasuriya, A. (1968). ''Notes on a dead bear''. Loris, 11, 182β183.</ref> Sloth bears occasionally chase leopards from their kills.<ref name="brown2"/> [[Dhole]] [[pack (canine)|packs]] may attack sloth bears.<ref name="fox">{{cite book | author= Fox, Michael W. | title= The Whistling Hunters: Field Studies of the Asiatic Wild Dog (Cuon Alpinus) | year= 1984 | page= 150 | isbn= 0-87395-843-8 | publisher= State University of New York Press | location= Albany | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=V8qMs6x-PhUC&q=sloth+bear | access-date= 28 October 2020 | archive-date= 10 February 2023 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230210170619/https://books.google.com/books?id=V8qMs6x-PhUC&q=sloth+bear | url-status= live }}</ref> When attacking them, dholes try to prevent the bear from retreating into caves.<ref>Tiwari, S.K. (1999) ''Animal Kingdom of the World'', Sarup & Sons, {{ISBN|81-7625-071-6}}</ref> Unlike tigers which prey on sloth bears of all size, there is little evidence that dholes are a threat to fully-grown sloth bears other than exceptionally rare cases.<ref name= Grzimek/><ref>Gopal, R. (1991). ''[http://www.indianforester.co.in/index.php/indianforester/article/view/8733 Ethological observations on the sloth bear (Melursus ursinus)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706163202/http://www.indianforester.co.in/index.php/indianforester/article/view/8733 |date=6 July 2017 }}''. Indian Forester, 117(10), 915β920.</ref> In one case, a [[golden jackal]] (a species much smaller and less powerful than a sloth bear and not generally a pack hunter as is the dhole) was seen to aggressively displace an adult bear which passively loped away from the snapping canid, indicating the sloth bear does not regard other carnivores as competition.<ref name="hadley"/> Sloth bears are [[sympatric]] with [[Asiatic black bear]]s in northern India, and the two species, along with the [[sun bear]], coexist in some of the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. They are also found together in Assam, Manipur, and Mizoram, in the hills south of the [[Brahmaputra River]], the only places occupied by all three bear species. The three species do not act aggressively toward each other. This may be because the three species generally differ in habit and dietary preferences.<ref name="hadley"/> [[Asian elephant]]s apparently do not tolerate sloth bears in their vicinity. The reason for this is unknown, as individual elephants known to maintain their composure near tigers have been reported to charge bears.<ref name="india"/> The [[Indian rhinoceros]] has a similar intolerance for sloth bears, and will charge at them.<ref name="brown2"/>
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