sloth bear

plural sloth bears

1. Any member of the species Melursus ursinus of nocturnal bears, native to South Asia.

   More people in India are killed by sloth bears than by tigers.

   2002, Andrew M. McDearmid, Heart of a Hunter: Big Game Hunting, page 145

   2 more examples

   As in other species of wild bears, sloth bears are most likely to die young, especially during the first few months after they have left their mothers.

   2002, Bernard Stonehouse, A Visual Introduction to Bears, page 31

   Sloth bear attacks are in no way a thing of the past. In recent years, Sri Lankan wildlife expert Shyamala Ratnayeke has surveyed close to three hundred of her countrymen who have encountered and, in some cases, been injured by sloth bears.

   2007, Bernd Brunner, Bears: A Brief History, page 134

   Synonyms: lip bear, ursiform sloth