Head to head
Asiatic Black Bear vs Sun Bear
Asiatic Black Bear
VS Sun Bear
The Asiatic black bear and sun bear both have a pale chest mark and both climb well, and both are Vulnerable Asian forest bears, but one is a large temperate-ranging bear and the other the smallest bear on Earth.
| Asiatic Black Bear | Sun Bear | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Ursus thibetanus | Helarctos malayanus |
| Size and build | A shaggy coat around the neck and large, rounded ears set wide on its head | The smallest bear, weighing 27 to 65 kg and 1 to 1.4 m long |
| Chest mark | A pale crescent or V-shaped patch, which gave it the name moon bear | A cream or orange crescent, unique to each bear, said to resemble the rising sun |
| Range | Forest and mountains from Iran and the Himalayas through Southeast Asia to Japan and the Russian Far East | Tropical forests of Southeast Asia, from northeastern India and Myanmar through Thailand, Malaysia, and Indochina to Sumatra and Borneo |
| Diet | Fruit, nuts, acorns, insects, honey, carrion, and small animals | Fruit, insects, honey, bee larvae, small animals, and plant growth |
| Special trait | An excellent climber that breaks branches to make platform-like nests | A tongue of up to 25 cm, the longest of any bear, used to extract honey and insects |
| Threats | Hunted for its gall bladder and other parts, and bears are kept on farms to extract bile in some countries | Declining, and thought to have dropped by more than 30 percent over three bear generations |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable, with a decreasing population | Vulnerable, with a decreasing population |
Asiatic Black Bear vs Sun Bear: common questions
Which bear is the smallest in the world?
The sun bear, which weighs 27 to 65 kg and is about half the size of the next-smallest bear.
Which bear has the longest tongue?
The sun bear, with a tongue of up to 25 cm, used for extracting honey and insects.
Where do the Asiatic black bear and sun bear live?
The Asiatic black bear lives from Iran and the Himalayas to Japan, while the sun bear lives in tropical forests of Southeast Asia from northeastern India to Sumatra and Borneo.