 the sun bear (helarctos malayanus) is a bear found in tropical forest habitats of southeast asia. it is classified as vulnerable by iucn as the large-scale deforestation that has occurred throughout southeast asia over the past three decades has dramatically reduced suitable habitat for the sun bear. it is suspected that the global population has declined by more than 30% over the past three bear generations. the malayan sun bear is also known as the "honey bear", which refers to its voracious appetite for honeycombs and honey.lekagul, b. and j. a. mcneely (1977). mammals of thailand. kurusapha ladprao press, bangkok. however, "honey bear" can also refer to a kinkajou, which is an unrelated member of the procyonidae. ==characteristics== thumb|left|sun bear skull the sun bear's fur is usually jet-black, short and sleek with some under-wool; some individual sun bears are reddish or gray. servheen, christopher; herrero, stephen; and peyton, bernard. bears: status survey and conservation action plan. gland, switzerland: international union for conservation of nature (iucn); 1999. p219 there are two whirls on the shoulders, from where the hair radiates in all directions. there is a crest on the sides of the neck and a whorl in the centre of the breast patch. there is always a more or less crescent-shaped pale patch on the breast that varies individually in colour ranging from buff, cream or dirty white to ochreous. the skin is naked on the upper lip. the tongue is long and protrusible. the ears are small and round, broad at the base and capable of very little movement. the front legs are somewhat bowed with the paws turned inwards, and the claws are cream.pocock, r. i. (1941). the fauna of british india, including ceylon and burma. mammalia. â volume 2. taylor and francis, london. the sun bear is the smallest of the bears. adults are
Animals_described_in_1821 Bears Carnivora_of_Malaysia Fauna_of_East_Asia Fauna_of_Southeast_Asia Fauna_of_Sumatra IUCN_Red_List_vulnerable_species Mammals_of_Bangladesh Mammals_of_Borneo Mammals_of_India Mammals_of_Indonesia Mammals_of_Thailand Megafauna_of_Eurasia