8 Amazing Smallest Bear Species in the World

Have you ever wondered what kind of smallest bear species in the world? Bear is popular with bigger species of common animals. Even so, there are also the smallest ones among the others.

Smallest bear species in the world, commonly living in tropical land. They love to live in the warmer habitat which is different from typical bears that are found as an animal that lives at the South Pole. That makes their move more agile to adapt to the area.

The biggest bear commonly lives around the Arctic region. They need a bigger size of the body to adapt to extreme weather.

Are you wondering what kind of smallest bear species in the world? Here we have some of them below. Let’s check them out!

1. Sun bear

Sun bear is one of the smallest bear species in the world, which is categorized as the Ursus Malayanus family. They have black fur, which is repellent with water. The brown color around their chest makes them different from the most ferocious type of bears in common.

Sun bears can weigh around 27 kg to 65 kg only. Differences from a common bear that mostly weighs up to 100 kg make them more special. Even males, only reach a weight up to 65 kg similar to the characteristic of the honey bear.

The Sun bear is not always carnivorous, even if they eat meat. Some of them have less meat in their diet and eat more veggies and fruits. This kind of bear can be found easily around South East Asia.

2. Andean bear

The Andean bear is one of the smallest bear species in the world, which is categorized as the Tremarctos Ornatus family. They have black or dark brown fur that looks similar to the Sun Bear.

Andean bear is classified as vulnerable animals which have endangered status. Killing them is illegal because they are protected by South American law. Most of them live around the conservatory area which is different from the largest types of bears on earth.

Andean bears can reach 35 kg to 80 kg and grow up to 200 cm only. Most of them can be found around South American mountains as the native of the Andes Mountains.

3. Sloth bear

The sloth bear is one of the smallest bear species in the world, which is classified as the Melursus Ursinus family. They have long and thick muzzles with small jaws. Their long lower lips can be stretched into the edge of their nose.

Common sloth bears can reach a weight between 55 kg to 105 kg. Even categorized as omnivores, but they rarely eat vegetables or fruits. They are into smaller insects as their main diet.

Common sloth bears can be found in warmer areas such as tropical forests, savannahs, grasslands, and scrublands. They can easily be found around India, Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. They are different from similar bears that are found as animals that live in the North Pole.

4. Sri Lankan sloth bear

The Sri Lankan sloth bear is one of the smallest bears in the world categorized as the Melursus Ursinus Inornatus family. Even comes with the same species as the common sloth, the Sri Lankan sloth bear has a different structure and size.

Sri Lankan sloth mostly has shorter dark brown fur and mostly lack white chest fur. They can reach a weight between 68 kg to 104 kg. As a subspecies of sloth bear, the Sri Lankan sloth bear has a smaller skull compared to the common sloth bear.

5. Indian sloth bear

The Indian sloth bear is one of the smallest bears in the world and is categorized as part of the Melursus Ursinus Ursinus family. As a subspecies of sloth bears, the Indian sloth bear has darker black fur.

Indian sloth bear has a larger skull compared to common sloth. Their weight can reach between 83 kg to 93 kg. They are native sloth bears in India and are mostly found around higher mountains. Their habitat spreads from Punjab to Arunachal Pradesh and some Indian North Western deserts.

6. Nepal sloth bear

The Nepal sloth bear is one of the smallest bears in the world and is categorized as part of the Melursus Ursinus Ursinus family. They look similar to the Indian sloth bear, which has a larger skull compared to the common sloth bear.

Nepal sloth bears commonly reach a weight between 95 kg to 114 kg. Their body is bigger compared to Indian sloth bear. Most of them can be found around the Himalayan Mountains and are rarely seen around the lowland or Terai area.

7. Panda bear

The panda bear is one of the smallest bear species in the world, which is categorized as the Ailuropoda Melanoleuca family. They have an iconic black-and-white color which makes them different from the common bear.

Panda bears can reach a weight between 110 kg to 113 kg. Adult panda bears commonly eat a lot compared to younger ones. They can eat up to 20 kg of bamboo a day.

Panda bears commonly live around higher areas in China. They can be found easily around Western China. They have typically protected bears that live in conservatory areas to prevent extinction.

8. Tibetan bear

The Tibetan bear is one of the smallest bear species in the world, which is categorized as the Ursus Thibetanus family. They love to live in a highland such as forest hills and mountains.

Tibetan bears can reach a weight between 100 to 200 kg. Their growth is up to 190 cm, which makes them fluffier because of their weight. They have specific brown fur around the chest, which widens into the shoulder area.

Tibetan bear is classified as an Asian black bear. They are commonly found around the Himalayan Mountains, Iran, Japan, South East Asia, and some of Eastern Asia.

All of the bears mentioned above are the smallest bear species in the world and come from different countries. Most of them live around the warmer area that mostly has tropical weather.