sun bear

American  

noun

1. a small, black bear, Ursus (Helarctos ) malayanus, of Southeast Asian forests, having a light muzzle and yellow chest markings.

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sun bear British  

noun

1. Also called: honey bear.  a small bear, Helarctos malayanus, of tropical forests in S and SE Asia, having a black coat and a yellowish snout and feeding mostly on honey and insects

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Etymology

Origin of sun bear

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

Apparently its Malayan sun bear looked surprisingly humanlike when it stood up on two legs to wave at visitors.

From Slate • Aug. 4, 2023

The team’s camera traps also photographed golden cat, sun bear, Malayan porcupine, Sumatran porcupine, wild pig and pig-tailed macaque, proving the area is bursting with threatened Sumatran mammals.

From The Guardian • May 10, 2017

"Our big cats, sun bear, hyena and probably the painted dogs - all for whom a sense of smell is really important."

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2017

“There are only a handful of people working to save the sun bear, all of them with inadequate amounts of funding, low levels of government support, and very little support from the public.”

From Time • Jul. 17, 2014

The fear-possessed Japanese black bear, Malay sun bear and Indian sloth bear are the ones that are most dangerous, and that sometimes charge the keepers.

From The Minds and Manners of Wild Animals A Book of Personal Observations by Hornaday, William Temple