Source Information
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SUMMARY:
- Sun bears are omnivorous. Major items in their diets include
invertebrates (beetles, beetle larvae, termites, earthworms and
others), and fruits, with figs being particularly important outside
the main fruiting season.
- Additionally, they eat honey, flowers, acorns and other plant
material.
- Vertebrates (including birds, reptiles and small mammals) are
eaten less often.
- Food in human garbage may be eaten by some individuals.
General:
- Bears are omnivorous. The diet of bears varies with the seas as
different plants flower and fruit. (B392.8.w8)
- Fruits, berries and sprouts, also insects, eggs and small
vertebrates. (B144)
- Omnivorous. (B147)
The diet includes honey, insects and insect larvae (including termites),
jungle fowl, small rodents and fruit juices. (B147)
- Largely frugivorous, supplemented with insects. (B285.w4)
- Omnivorous - fruits, small vertebrates, honey, bee larvae. (D246)
- The diet includes honey and wild bee grubs, termites, fruits, other vegetable matter, also
probably small vertebrates if caught. (B423)
- Diet includes honey, and leaves from coconut palms (sucking the
juices). (B426.8.w8)
- Invertebrates such as termites, bees and earthworms, coconut palm
hearts, also fruits and buds, small vertebrates and carrion. (B424)
- The sun bear feeds on fruits, honey and small vertebrates; they may scavenge tiger kills.
(B399.5.w5)
- A study of sun bears in lowland tropical rainforest in Borneo found
that the bears were omnivorous. Invertebrates (beetles, beetle larvae,
termites, bees, wasps, forest cockroaches and other arthropods) were
commonly eaten (found in 57% of scat samples). After beetles (found in
63% of samples), the next most important food was figs (found in 61%),
while other fruits were less important (29%); flowers, acorns and
unidentified plant materials were also eaten. Vertebrates were eaten
less commonly but included tortoise, other reptiles, pheasants, other
birds, bird eggs and fish. About 7% of samples showed evidence that
the bear was making use of human-associated food resources (a garbage
dump). It was noted that the proportion of fruits in the diet was
lower than expected, but this was probably due to the lack of a normal
fruiting season during the study period. (J345.13.w2)
- Sun bears are omnivorous. Beetles, beetle larvae and termites were
found in 57% of scat samples from sun bears in Sabah, Borneo. Outside
the main fruiting season, the most commonly eaten fruits were Ficus
spp. At least four other known fruits and at least 14 unidentifed
fruits were eaten. As well as 13 genera of termites, (Isoptera) and
eight families of beetles (Coleoptera), other animal food eaten
included one stingless bee genus (Apidae), two ant genera (Formicidae), one wasp
genus (Vespidae), three other
insect orders, two other classes of arthropods, and small amounts of reptiles,
birds and small mammals. Earthworms were also thought to be important,
commonly being found at sun bear feeding sites, although due to their
body structure, remains were not found in scats. (Th9.II.w2)
- Fruits are important seasonally. A study in Central Borneo,
September to May, found sun bears to be eating three fruit species, Erycibe
maingayi, Ficus consociata and Canarium pilosum. It
was noted that fruit remained as part of the diet outside the main
fruiting season, with for example Ficus eaten in August and Erycibe
maingayi probably eaten in January. (J365.15.w1)
- Omnivorous, fruits to carcasses. (B448)
- Omnivorous, including figs and termites Prohaniteres mirabilis.
(J178.100.w1)
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