Bear-sponge - an animal with an unusual appearance and strange habits

The first scientific-cognitive story about the bear-gubachev, written in the middle of the last century, caused a real sensation among Soviet readers. They could not believe that this miracle beast was a close relative with our clubfoot. And honestly, this is not surprising, because the sponges look more like a lazy or anteater than a formidable bear.

However, do not trust the wrong opinion. As scientists say, the sponge really belongs to the Bear family. In addition, if you carefully look at his habits, the truth immediately surfaced.

Where does the bear-sponge live?

The homeland of the beast is South Asia. The largest population of this species lives on the territory of modern India. True, the animals do not live in one particular region of the country, but scattered throughout its territory in small groups.

In addition, a large number of hairy animals live in the Himalayan mountains. Because of this, they are often called Himalayan bear-sponges. Also a special subspecies of these creatures dwells in the territory of Sri Lanka, but since it is slightly different from its relatives, we will talk about it a little later.

Himalayan Bear-Sponge: description

To begin with, the lips are much inferior to their counterparts in size. For example, the weight of an adult male rarely exceeds 100 kilograms, while the average weight of a brown bear is 300-350 kilograms. As for the dimensions of the body, these animals can reach about 1.5-2 meters in length and 60-90 cm in height. In this case, males greatly exceed their companions both in weight and in size.

By the way, few know that the Himalayan bear-sponge was a prototype for one of the characters of Rudyard Kipling's book "Mowgli". So, it was his image that was taken as the basis for describing the formidable Baloo, who took care of the abandoned boy. That's just the modern version of the story, portrayed in the film, distorts this fact.

However, let us return to the appearance of our beast. So, first of all the bear-sponge stands out against the background of the others by a disproportionate muzzle. The nose of the animal is strongly pushed forward, and the large lower lip is clearly evident. A similar physiological feature is necessary for the sponge to easily extract insects from even the deepest holes and crevices.

Almost all bears are solid black, only on their chest they have a small white spot of V-shaped. And since this beast loves a cool climate, its woolen cover is very dense. In addition, near the neck, the amount of hair is greatly increased, thereby forming a kind of mane.

Gubachi from Sri Lanka

As mentioned above, those individuals living in Sri Lanka are slightly different from the others. So, these beehive-sponges have much smaller body proportions, which at a meeting becomes immediately noticeable. In addition, they do not have such a thick coat on their bodies, as they live in warmer climates. And to top it off, these clumsy predators do not have a light spot on their chest.

Otherwise, these bears, like blood brothers. Their habits, diet and way of life are completely identical. Therefore, it is not necessary to separate them into separate categories - it is advisable to cite a general classification of this species.

All about the diet of the sponge

Most of all the bear-sponge loves to eat termites and ants. That is why some scientists originally classified these animals as belonging to the family of Anteaters. However, as it turned out, it was a wrong conclusion. And yet the Himalayan bear-sponge is an ideal hunter for small insects.

Thanks to its large claws, it easily tears the walls of an anthill, reaching up to its most mammoth places. Then he blows out all the dust out of the holes and licks the insects with the help of a narrow long tongue. In this case, for one approach, a bear can destroy the entire colony of termites.

In addition to insects, the honey-sponge also consumes various fruits and berries. And in the most difficult times he goes on sugar cane and rootlets of plants. As for animal food, a hungry bear can ruin a bird's nest or attack a small animal.

Habits and way of life of the beast

Bears-gubachi seldom settle on flat lands. They prefer the rocky slopes or small forests. At the same time, animals lead a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle, because of the thick wool the daytime heat is too much bothering them. It should be noted that this bear has poor vision and hearing. However, an acute sense of smell compensates for this deficiency. For example, a sponge can smell the odor of even those larvae that are quite deep underground.

In their free time hunting bears sleep. As a shelter, they use thick bushes or natural caves. With the advent of the rainy season, the activity of animals is greatly reduced. During this period, rare forays for food are replaced more and more often by a long slumber. But in this case, unlike his brown brother, the bear-sponge does not fall into winter hibernation.

View on the verge of extinction

For the most part, the population of bear-sponges has declined due to the fact that a person forcibly tapped their territory. Intentional deforestation led to the fact that the animals simply had nowhere to settle, not to mention the fact that now it is much harder for them to find their own food.

Because of this at the moment, bears are on the verge of extinction. And although they are already listed in the Red Book, the current state of things raises serious concerns from scientists. Therefore, they do their best to improve the living conditions of bears, introducing more and more new projects to protect the forests of India.