How big does a Sun bear get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown Sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) reaches an average size of 1.22 meter (4′ 1″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 24.75 years, they grow from 325 grams (0.72 lbs) to 57.04 kg (125.75 lbs). A Sun bear has 1 babies at once. The Sun bear (genus: Helarctos) is a member of the family Ursidae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
The sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) is a species in the family Ursidae occurring in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is the smallest bear, standing nearly 70 cm (28 in) at the shoulder and weighing 25–65 kg (55–143 lb). It is stockily built, with large paws, strongly curved claws, small rounded ears and a short snout. The fur is generally jet-black, but can vary from grey to red. Sun bears get their name from the characteristic orange to cream coloured chest patch. Its unique morphology—inward-turned front feet, flattened chest, powerful forelimbs with large claws—suggests adaptations for climbing.The most arboreal (tree-living) of all bears, the sun bear is an excellent climber and sunbathes or sleeps in trees 2 to 7 m (6.6 to 23.0 ft) above the ground. It is mainly active during the day, though nocturnality might be more common in areas frequented by humans. Sun bears tend to remain solitary but sometimes occur in pairs (such as a mother and her cub). They do not seem to hibernate, possibly because food resources are available the whole year throughout the range. Omnivores, sun bears have a broad diet including ants, bees, beetles, honey, termites and plant material such as seeds and several kinds of fruits; vertebrates such as birds and deer are also eaten occasionally. They breed throughout the year; individuals become sexually mature at two to four years of age. Litters comprise one or two cubs that remain with their mother for around three years.The range of the sun bear is bound by northeastern India to the north and extends south to southeast through Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam in mainland Asia to Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia to the south. These bears are threatened by heavy deforestation and illegal hunting for food and the wildlife trade; they are also harmed in conflicts with humans when they enter farmlands, plantations and orchards. The global population is estimated to have declined by 35% over the past three decades. The IUCN has listed this species as Vulnerable.
Animals of the same family as a Sun bear
We found other animals of the Ursidae family:
- American black bear with a size of 1.38 meter (4′ 7″)
- Sloth bear with a size of 1.6 meter (5′ 3″)
- Giant panda with a size of 1.35 meter (4′ 6″)
- Polar bear with a size of 2 meter (6′ 7″)
- Spectacled bear with a size of 1.77 meter (5′ 10″)
- Brown bear with a size of 1.49 meter (4′ 11″)
- Asian black bear with a size of 1.51 meter (5′ 0″)
- Red panda with a size of 58.3 cm (1′ 11″)
Animals with the same size as a Sun bear
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Sun bear:
- Brown hyena with a size of 1.2 meter (4′ 0″)
- Chacoan peccary with a size of 1.03 meter (3′ 5″)
- Wild boar with a size of 1.35 meter (4′ 6″)
- Aardvark with a size of 1.26 meter (4′ 2″)
- Spotted hyena with a size of 1.3 meter (4′ 4″)
- Mountain goat with a size of 1.3 meter (4′ 4″)
- Cougar with a size of 1.4 meter (4′ 8″)
- Striped hyena with a size of 1.11 meter (3′ 8″)
- Rhim gazelle with a size of 1.03 meter (3′ 5″)
- Iberian ibex with a size of 1.2 meter (4′ 0″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Sun bear
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a Sun bear:
- Greater mouse-tailed bat
- Celebes crested macaque
- Green acouchi
- Spectral bat
- Mahogany glider
- Michoacan deer mouse
- Bulmer’s fruit bat
- Thorold’s deer
- Hoffmann’s rat
- African buffalo
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Sun bear
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Sun bear:
- Guatemalan black howler with an average maximal age of 20 years
- Goat with an average maximal age of 20.75 years
- Striped hyena with an average maximal age of 24 years
- Père David’s deer with an average maximal age of 23.25 years
- Springbok with an average maximal age of 20 years
- Kit fox with an average maximal age of 20 years
- Short-beaked common dolphin with an average maximal age of 20 years
- Madagascan fruit bat with an average maximal age of 20 years
- Potto with an average maximal age of 26 years
- Eastern grey kangaroo with an average maximal age of 24 years
Animals with the same weight as a Sun bear
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Helarctos malayanus:
- Burmeister’s porpoise with a weight of 60 kilos (132.28 lbs)
- Alpaca with a weight of 64.9 kilos (143.08 lbs)
- Grant’s gazelle with a weight of 55 kilos (121.25 lbs)
- Markhor with a weight of 53.95 kilos (118.94 lbs)
- Yellow-backed duiker with a weight of 61.65 kilos (135.91 lbs)
- Harbour porpoise with a weight of 52.72 kilos (116.23 lbs)
- Pantropical spotted dolphin with a weight of 65.72 kilos (144.89 lbs)
- Cheetah with a weight of 50.54 kilos (111.42 lbs)
- Hector’s dolphin with a weight of 50 kilos (110.23 lbs)
- Vicuña with a weight of 47.5 kilos (104.72 lbs)