Image: Valerie

This unique bear has an unusually long tongue that is uses to feed on honey and insects.

The tongue, measuring an average of 8-9 inches, is especially impressive when we consider that the average human tongue is less than half that length (averaging around 3.8 inches) and the World Record for the longest dog tongue is only 4.5 inches.

Image: Justin McGregor

Sun bears use their remarkably long tongues to extract termites, beetle and bee larvae, and some types of fruit. They also occasionally eat vertebrates like birds, reptiles, and small mammals when given the opportunity. These bears have a voracious appetite for honey and honeycombs, and uses its surprisingly powerful jaws to open up hardwood trees to get to it.

Other than their tongues, sun bears can be identified by the large, white crescent shape on their chest, their inward turning paws (for climbing), and their small size relative to other bears. Adults only weigh up to 175 lb.

Image: Cloudtail

You can find sun bears in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, although their population is declining rapidly due to deforestation, poaching, and the baffling demand for bear bile in Asia. Because of this demand, numerous individuals are held in captivity on bile farms in Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

“In Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam, sun bears are commonly poached for their gall bladders (i.e., bile) and bear-paws; the former is used as a Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the latter as an expensive delicacy.” IUCN

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