sloth bear

American  

noun

1. a coarse-haired, long-snouted bear, Ursus ursinus, of India and Indochina: now rare.

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sloth bear British  

noun

1. a bear, Melursus ursinus, of forests of S India and Sri Lanka, having a shaggy coat and an elongated snout specialized for feeding on termites

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Etymology

Origin of sloth bear

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

He passed the other attractions of the South Garden: the camels, the twittering, vividly adorned macaws, the antelopes and zebra, the llamas, the sloth bear, and the monkeys in their crowded house, making mischief.

From Time • Jun. 26, 2017

In June, the zoo euthanized another sloth bear, Francois, after he developed severe degenerative disc disease in his spine.

From Washington Post • Oct. 19, 2016

Some of these species, including the sloth bear and some pangolins, are considered threatened by the IUCN.

From Scientific American • Feb. 22, 2013

Dry land diversions include a 17th-century Dutch fort and the Shrine of St. Anne, Sri Lanka’s oldest, as well as leopard, sloth bear and elephant spotting at nearby Wilpattu National Park.

From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2013

The Ceylon bear is of that species which is to be seen in the Zoological Gardens as the "sloth bear;" an ill-bred-looking fellow with a long-haired black coat and a gray face.

From Eight Years' Wanderings in Ceylon by Baker, Samuel White, Sir