Yes, sloth bears do climb trees, but nowhere near with the proficiency that their two closest relatives, Asiatic black bears and sun bears. If anything, a sloth bear’s long claws are a detriment to climbing. However, while three-toed sloths use their claws for climbing, sloth bears use theirs for digging. Long Thick Claws – Sloth bears, like three-toed sloths, have long thick curved claws.So why did George Shaw think they were sloths and not bears? It seems to come down to three key reasons: Ursus means bear in Latin, while mel means honey, Melursus … Honey bear! That’s the best English option for a name so far. Some prefer the genus Ursus, which includes four other bear species, while others prefer they be placed in the mono-specific genus Melursus. And while there is now general agreement on the species name, ursinus, disagreements still persist as to what genus this bear should be placed in. The “jungle joker?” As for the scientific names for this bear, there were plenty of those over time as well, including Melursus lybius, Ursus labiatus, Prochilus hirsutus, Chondrorhynchus hirsutus and Ursus longirostris. To further add to the confusion, there were also other English names for the sloth bear: the labiated bear or lip bear, the Indian bear and even the jungle joker. “Bear sloth” was put in reverse and became “sloth bear.” Wala! That was easy. The Genus Bradypus was of course scrapped, but the common name stuck … well, sort of. Ursus means bear in Latin, while mel means honey, Melursus … Honey bear! However, once it was determined that sloth bears were indeed bears and therefore in the Family Ursidae, name changes had to be made. Clearly George had never seen a wild sloth bear in action. Bradypus is the genus of the three-toed sloth which occurs in central and south America. George thought that sloth bears were in the sloth family, Bradypodidae, and gave them the scientific name Bradypus ursinus. Each genus is placed in a Family, for example all bears are placed under the Family Ursidae. This binomial name is unique to each species. Scientists use a Latin-bassed binomial naming system, meaning each individual species is put under a genus that it may share with other species, and is also given a species name. The previously mentioned George Shaw not only gave them a common name but a scientific name as well. Once the Europeans got involved, the bear’s name got even more confusing. These include Bir Mendi, Pani Karudi, Rinchh, Bhalluka, Walaha and Karadi, just to name a few. But sloth bears have many different names based on the local language throughout their range. However throughout much of Indian subcontinent sloth bears are the only bear present, so the word bhalu usually refers to sloth bears. In Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book” Baloo was a sloth bear and Bhalu (pronounced Baloo) in Hindi means “bear.” Technically bhalu means bear, not necessarily sloth bear. He gave them the common name “bear sloths.” So what was it about these bears that confused him and made him believe they were sloths? First it must be recognized that ‘sloth bear’ was not the first nor the only name this animal goes by.
The quick explanation is that a European Zoologist in 1791 named George Shaw gave them the name because he thought these animals were a bear-like sloth vs. The bears are fast and agile enough to fight off tigers, so it is a common question - “Where did the sloth bear’s name come from?” Have you ever wondered how the sloth bear got its name? If you have, you’re not alone! This bear, which is mostly found in India, has no evolutionary relationship with sloths that live in central and south America. If you travel to India to see wildlife, one species you might encounter on a safari is a sloth bear.
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