Indian sloth bear at Satpura National Park

The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), also known as the Stickney bear or labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bears found wild within the Indian Subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution. The population isolated in Sri Lanka is considered a subspecies. Unlike brown and black bears, sloth bears have lankier builds, long, shaggy coats that form a mane around the face, long, sickle-shaped claws, and a specially adapted lower lip and palate used for sucking insects. Sloth bears breed during spring and early summer and give birth near the beginning of winter. They feed on termites, honeybee colonies, and fruits. Sloth bears sometimes attack humans who encroach on their territories. Historically, humans have drastically reduced their habitat and diminished their population by hunting them for food and products such as their bacula and claws. These bears have been used as performing pets due to their tameable nature.

Satpura National Park is located in the Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh in India. Its name is derived from the Satpura range. It covers an area of 524 km2 (202 sq mi). Satpura National Park,along with the adjoining Bori and Panchmarhi wildlife sanctuaries, provides 1,427 km2 (551 sq mi) of unique central Indian highland ecosystem. It was set up in 1981.

The terrain of the national park is extremely rugged and consists of sandstone peaks, narrow gorges, ravines and dense forests. The altitude ranges from 300 to 1,352 metres (984 to 4,436 ft). It has Dhoopgarh peak as high as 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) and the almost level plains of Churna.

The nearest town to the national park is Pachmarhi and the nearest railhead is Piparia 55 kilometres (34 mi) away. The state capital Bhopal is 210 kilometres (130 mi) away.

Satpura National Park is very rich in biodiversity. The animals here are tiger, leopard, sambar, chital, Indian muntjac, nilgai, four-horned antelope, chinkara, Gaur , wild boar, wild dog, bear, black buck, fox, porcupine, flying squirrel, mouse deer, Indian giant squirrel, etc. There are a variety of birds. Hornbills and peafowl are common birds found here.The flora consists of mainly sal, teak, tendu, Phyllanthus emblica, mahua, bel, bamboo, and grasses and medicinal plants. In previous years, there have been sightings of lions, elephants, wild water buffalo and barasingha, although these are rare.

Source : Wikipedia

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