Sun
Bears
Sun Bear
Written and
Illustrated By:
Alyssa Foster
2nd Grade 2012
Sun Bears
Written and Illustrated By:
Alyssa Foster
2nd Grade 2012
Thompson Publishing Company Inc., Copyright 2012
For my family,
my classroom,
and Jonesville
Elementary
School
Table of Contents
Sun Bear Facts
2–4
Sun Bears Diet
5
Sun Bears Habitat
6- 7
Sun Bear Diagram
8
Sun Bear Life Cycle
9
Glossary
10
References
11
Sun Bear Photos
12
1
Sun Bear Facts
The Sun Bear is one of the smallest bears. It measures
around 1.4 meters (4.5 ft. long) and weighs up to 100
lbs. They have short, black fur. The Sun Bear has an
orange-yellow horseshoe shape on their chest.
2
Sun Bear Facts (continued)
The Sun Bear is also known as the honey bear and Malayan sun
bears. Sun Bears have loose skin so that they can twist when being
attacked or bitten. They have very strong legs that make them great
3
Sun Bear Facts (continued)
at climbing trees. They have an extra, long tongue. The Sun Bears
use their long claws to help tear open trees and look for insects
and bee nests. The long tongue helps to slurp the honey.
4
Sun Bears Diet
The Sun Bear eats mostly lizards, little birds,
rodents, insects, termites, fruit, and honey.
5
Sun Bears Habitat
The Sun Bears live in the tropical rainforests of southeastern
Asia. They live in tropical temperatures, so they do not need to
hibernate and can mate at any time of the year. They usually
6
Sun Bears Habitat (continued)
have two cubs at a time and they care for them up to two years
or until the cubs are old enough to survive on their own. The
cubs are sometimes taken from their mothers and kept as pets.
7
Sun Bear Diagram
8
Sun Bear Life Cycle
Life cycle
When sun bears are born they
are very small with no fur. At
first they cannot see. They
grow very fast.
A young sun bear
Life Cycle
About 100 days after mating, the female gives
birth, normally to two cubs, in a nest in the
forest undergrowth. The cubs weigh about 225
grams, and are blind, hairless and helpless.
Their skin is almost transparent. However, after
about 1-2 months, they are able to forage for
food with their mother. The cubs stay with
their mother until they are almost fully grown.
9
Glossary
attacked – charge, fly at, undertake, go to work on, tackle
forage – seek, hunt, explore, look about
hibernate – To spend the winter in a torpid state with all the body
functions greatly slowed down and the body temperature
reduced.
horseshoe shaped – a curved flat face shaped to fit the rim of a
horse’s hoof.
rainforest – hot, wet, equatorial forest characterized by high
broadleaved, evergreen trees
rodents - A small gnawing mammal of the order rodentia
including rats, mice, squirrels, marmots, etc.
survive – to continue to live or exist
termites – order of very small, white, soft bodied, social insects
tropical – A climate characterized by high temperatures and heavy
rainfall
10
References
Websites
http:/animals.about.com/od/bears/a/bearfacts.htm
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/anim
als/creaturefeature
http://www.enchanted.com
www.google images.com
http://www.kidzone.ws/lw/bears/facts.html
Books
The Bear, Sabrina Crewe
Bears, Lynn Stone
11
Sun Bear Photos
12