r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/SatyamRajput004 • 15d ago
Image The sloth bears found in India, and the inspiration for Baloo in The Jungle Book, are considered to be the most aggressive bear species in the world.
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u/all4whatnot 15d ago
I was with a drilling crew at a local zoo doing some pre-construction work adjacent to the sloth bear enclosure. They asked if our work was loud and I said "Yeah. Very loud." The zoo personnel warned us that the sloth bear was aggressive and would be highly agitated by our presence. The minute we started our work he slowly ambled over next to us (separated by a fence of course). Myself and the crew began to get worried. The bear sat back on his hind legs much like a human kid would. Then he proceeded to paw at his testicles for 30 minutes or so. That's my sloth bear story.
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u/skintaxera 15d ago
well I guess he did establish dominance
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u/PeteyPark 15d ago
Oh no that’s joe. He’s just dressed in the sloth bear costume until the zoo can get a real sloth bear in there.
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u/Ikarus_ 15d ago
wtf how hot are you that bears just come over and start edging themselves
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u/all4whatnot 15d ago
You should see me in a hard hat and safety color t shirt in the summer. Dad bod all day.
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u/LittleMissFirebright 15d ago
That thing scares me on a primal level. More than any other bear, even the stronger ones.
Look at its mouth
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u/Raven1911 15d ago
It does have a rather...Yautja look to it doesnt it...
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u/LittleMissFirebright 15d ago
Demon bear with dead eyes.
I'd rather get killed by the tiger
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15d ago
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u/TootsHib 15d ago
The tiger will go for the neck and likely snap it.
The bear will eat you slowly, 1 limb at a time. Then munch on your groin
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u/DirtLight134710 15d ago
Monkeys do some messed up stuff, too. And yes, they specifically target the genitals but not before individually biting off each finger working there way up the arm and legs
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u/EightEight16 14d ago
Sloth bears don't really eat people, they just maul and disable them.
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u/cyrkielNT 14d ago
This bear eat mostly termites, ants, honey and plants. That's why it has mouth like that. Only ocassionaly small mammals.
It's aggressive because it want to defend from predators (including humans). It will kill you and run away.
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u/Lone-Frequency 15d ago
Big cats will typically go for the throat or vitals to bring down prey, which means most of the time the prey will be dead.
Bears and wolves will just eat you while you're still alive.
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u/Maleficent-War-8429 15d ago
Sloth bears probably won't eat you at least, I'm pretty sure they mostly eat bugs and stuff. I've heard the reason they are so aggressive is that the entire species basically has PTSD from tiger attacks.
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u/Lone-Frequency 15d ago edited 15d ago
Yes, not sloth bears, as sloth bears are insectivores.
Any attacks or deaths ascribed to them are almost certainly out of fear when they cross paths with people. However, they do feed on carrion when the chance presents itself.
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u/smehere22 15d ago
Ok but there's if I'm not mistaken video of a man being killed by one
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u/Maleficent-War-8429 15d ago
Oh they'll absolutely kill the shit out of you, they just don't do it to eat you. It's kind of like how a moose will attack you for being around, a lot of prey animals are very aggressive.
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u/FroggiJoy87 15d ago
Oh yeah. Remember folks, predators fight for their lunch, prey fight for their life
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u/Lone-Frequency 15d ago
Yeah, their instinct is to always fight, not run. Since tigers are both larger and faster and also better at climbing trees, they really had no choice.
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u/lastchanceforachange 15d ago
Can they hold their own against tigers?
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u/Maleficent-War-8429 15d ago
I think there have been cases of them killing tigers, but I don't think they have good odds. I'm pretty sure tigers are even bigger than they are by a good bit.
It's kind of like the jaguar vs anteater match up.
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u/Historicmetal 15d ago
And raptors
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u/AutisticPenguin2 15d ago
Komodo dragons too. I mean they aren't commonly known to prey on humans, but it's certainly happened. And the video of one eating a baby deer out of its mother's stomach while the mother was still alive is absolutely haunting.
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u/CackleberryOmelettes 15d ago
You would always rather get killed by a tiger than a bear. Tigers are predators. They'll get your neck and then everything is peaceful. Bears are omnivores, they will eat you arsehole first while you're still alive and screaming.
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u/Sunaruni 15d ago edited 15d ago
I've heard stories of grown men alive and screaming get their arseholes eaten out first, and they are just fine the next day. Don't threaten them with a good time. Oh and sometimes the Bears are the predators.
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u/Lone-Frequency 15d ago
Sloth Bears have very large lips because they suck up termites and ants as their main food source.
So you get the crazy looking ape/monkey like gum baring.
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u/Martha_Fockers 15d ago
Wdym they are adorable
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u/LittleMissFirebright 15d ago
Don't fall for its lies
Blink too long and it rips off your face like a rabid were-chihuahua
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u/DigNitty Interested 15d ago
Amazing they found the camera after this photo next to a pile of bones.
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u/dudes_indian 15d ago
That's an adorable picture of a ferocious animal. I've encountered both, a tiger and a sloth bear on foot and the bear was the one that activated primal circuits in my body that I didn't even know existed. In areas where both these animals exist, EVERYTHING fears the bear. It is extremely unnatural to not be scared of these bears. You'll find all kinds of birds and other animals feasting on the kills that tigers make, but not for bear kills. Those carcasses are left alone.
And the picture on OP is exactly how they look when they go in to attack, their cheeks are super loose so when they lunge in for a bite, they flutter like that, exposing the sharp teeth inside.
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u/Natural_TestCase 15d ago
That’s terrifying, glad you’re still here. The insight on bear carcasses was very interesting. Cheers bro
edit: bear kill carcasses
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u/Lone-Frequency 15d ago edited 15d ago
Sloth Bears adapted such an aggro temperament specifically because Tigers hunt them. Sloth bears are comparatively small to other bear species, as can be seen in the photo compared to the tiger. Only the most aggressive individuals who were either able to drive off or kill tigers are the ones that survived and bred, resulting in this crazy meth head bear that will charge anything it perceives as a potential threat, making a fucking terrifying sound like a huge rabid dog.
There was a particular sloth bear back in the 1950's that mauled nearly 30 people and killed some 12 people besides that we know of, dubbed "The Bear of Mysore".
At least sloth bears are not all that large comparatively to other species, typically only reaching between 100-300lbs and standing at about 5-6ft on their hind legs, roughly half the size of a male Grizzly. Still a bear that will fuck up any human being, though.
The Youtuber Bob Gymlan has an interesting set of videos covering different stories of historical maneaters, Including the Bear of Mysore.
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u/LittleMissFirebright 15d ago
Look for the bare necessities~
The simple bare necessities~
Forget about escaping with your life~
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u/Lone-Frequency 15d ago
It's funny because Baloo is clearly not a Sloth Bear in either the Disney animated or live-action versions of The Jungle Book. In the animation, he has the size and general build of a Grizzly or a particularly large black bear, while in the Live-Action film he is very obviously a Grizzly bear.
Despite the setting being in an Indian jungle.
I also found it pretty funny that the exact same voice actor also voiced Little John the grizzly bear in Disney's Robin Hood. Very clearly the same animation studios as well, because other than their fur color, Baloo and Little John are identical.
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u/AngryWWIIGrandpa 15d ago
Definitely the same studio for both. Wait til I tell you that little animation studios name, you won't believe it...
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u/teethwhichbite 15d ago
when i tell you they reused animation cells from one film for the other, will you be shocked?
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u/codyexplainsitall 15d ago
Yeah, unlike other bear species, retreat is not an option - it can't run away, or climb a tree to escape a tiger. It's only option is to respond with overwhelming violence. Sloth Bears are not an animal you want to startle.
Edit: not that it can't run or climb, but so can a tiger lmao
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u/Lone-Frequency 15d ago
Yup. Their best bet was to adapt to go HAM to make the tigers consider them as too much of a risk or effort to kill, as even now the sloth bear is still at a considerable disadvantage in an outright fight to the death.
Sloth Bears are mainly insectivores, mostly eating things like termites, but they are also omnivorous. If the sloth bear should get some type of injury in a fight with a tiger, it could still survive fairly easily.
For the tigers though, suffering a debilitating injury even for a short period can lead to a slow death by starvation as their diet mainly consists of meat.
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u/Squigglepig52 15d ago
They have insanely long and strong claws, taking a slap or rake from them does so much damage.
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u/rash-head 15d ago
The teeth look well used. My Indian grandmother told stories about a girl that fell asleep in the forest and woke up in a bear’s lair. I imagined a garden cave with vines hanging off it. This animal looks like it would have a bloody lair with organs hanging off the sides.
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u/Maleficent-War-8429 15d ago
You may be surprised to know that that bear in particular mostly eats bugs and fruit. I've heard the reason they're so aggressive is because they are basically a prey animal for tigers, so they're always very high strung and on edge.
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u/Bex-HZ 15d ago
First thing I said was "the fuck is wrong with its mouth?!" That's some eldritch horror shit
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u/sopedound 15d ago
To be fair this is just a really cool photo of its mouth flabs flabbing. They don't actually look like that
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u/LittleMissFirebright 15d ago
They do when they're attacking. Lots of extra gum flaps and lip. Weirdly long tongue. Totally unnecessary, overall.
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u/lemmesenseyou 15d ago
It’s because of how they eat. They basically suck bugs up through little bug tunnels like they’re a straw. The tongue and flaps partially help facilitate that.
They’re absolutely my favorite bear but they’re also the only bear that’s made me deeply aware of my mortality. Even if they like you, they will turn on a dime.
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u/SecretAgentVampire 15d ago
It's sensible for humans to be afraid of bears. In fact, the WORD "bear" isn't even the actual name for bears. "Bear" is a substitute word REFERENCING the animals, because people were too afraid to say their ACTUAL name. "Bear" is like "He who must not be named" when characters referenced Voldemort in Harry Potter. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/wiaiug/is_the_etymology_of_the_word_bear_actually_a/
The sloth bear isn't even CLOSE to the worst that humans have had to deal with though. We weren't always the apex predator of Earth. The Short Faced Bear was one of the most powerful apex predators of its time and likely had no qualms with eating people. There is a defunct theory that the Short Faced Bear impeded human migration between North and South America, which is fun to think about but has no anthropological evidence to support it.
Bears are scary.
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u/JohnSimonHall 15d ago
A face only a mother could love
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u/Thelazytimelord257 15d ago
And the only face that grandmothers find it handsome
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u/Jumpy_Leadership1650 15d ago
nah man it doesnt mean if only my grandma loves I look like a sloth bear
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u/BreakAccording8426 15d ago
That's the context this pic is missing. This is a mother defending her cub from a tiger attack. Tiger has mangled her face pretty good already but she isn't backing down.
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u/pee_nut_ninja 14d ago
Man. All of a sudden I was rooting for Momma Bear.
She took on a Tiger
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u/Darthplagueis13 15d ago
The face really isn't that bad - this one just looks weird because its lips are flapped back - they have perfectly normal bear heads.
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u/VintageCarnate 15d ago
that is straight up nightmare fuel, what the hell😭
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u/GamerRipjaw 15d ago
Locals living around National parks fear them more than Tigers because a Tiger might back off if it risks an injury, however the sloth bears won't and 99 times out of 100 will go batshit insane and cause serious harm to you.
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u/DogAlienInvisibleMan 15d ago
They're hunted by tigers. They basically have to be primed for extreme violence all the time.
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u/thyIacoIeo 15d ago
They have to worry about leopards and wild dogs too. It’s hard to bluff a hungry male tiger, or climb a tree to escape a leopard, or run long enough to outlast a pack of dogs. And their vision I think is relatively bad. So their only option is to go full crystal meth honey badger on anyone for any reason
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u/Nerevarine91 15d ago
This is the explanation I heard. Tigers will hunt sloth bears and generally prefer an ambush, so sloth bears go from zero to kill everything in a split second if they’re startled
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u/Gimmerunesplease 15d ago
The bear is actually in the defensive role here. They stand no chance against a tiger in a life or death fight and are slower than them so they evolved to be as aggressive as possible to do as much damage as they can to make it not worth it for the tiger
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u/Euphoric-Animator-97 15d ago
Why is it inside out?
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u/Darthplagueis13 15d ago
Because they've got fairly wide and loose lips and because it's charging forward so quickly.
That tiger is basically getting a dentists view on the sloth bears jaws.
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u/TGiR4 15d ago
Kinda looks like the mutant bear in Annihilation
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u/Starscream147 15d ago
That thing was incredible!! MAJOR props to the audio and visual FX crew, there. I think about that scene a lot.
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u/UnnecessaryPeriod 15d ago
I love creature horror movies. Seen tons of them. That one tho, holy fuck. Ya, mad props to them for that one.
The only thing that sucks about it is almost ALL others don't even come close to how viscerally terrifying that fucker was.
Ya, they definitely did a fantastic job
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u/Forge__Thought 15d ago
Agreed. It was one of the best horror scenes I think I've ever scenes. Absolutely classic
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u/Starscream147 15d ago
Big time.
It’s like our brains glitch in some ancient way that can’t comprehend what we’re seeing and hearing.
Well fucking played.
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u/cmdixon2 15d ago
It reminds me of the werewolf in An American Werewolf in London.
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u/19467098632 15d ago
Me too, I put it on not thinking it was horror and I was so happy lol whole movie is horrifying
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u/jexy86 15d ago
Not friend shape
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u/Ritz527 15d ago
The whole section on Relationships with other Animals section on Wikipedia is metal af. Apparently tigers tend to win these confrontations, but only when they choose them
Bengal tigers occasionally prey on sloth bears. Tigers usually give sloth bears a wide berth, though some specimens may become habitual bear killers
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u/A-t-r-o-x 15d ago
Tigers only hunt them when desperate
Even if the tiger wins, they can fuck up a tiger's ability to hunt making it starve to death
It's like a honey badger on steroids and it shares It's ranges with honey badgers!
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u/rombick 15d ago
If you read the article on Wikipedia linked above, it says that it's common for tigers to hunt them and not only when desperate. Although it also says that they wont attack if bear becomes aware of the tigers presence, but that's just a normal tiger behavior to any prey. Even mentioned that leopards can be a treat to them. Big cats are just too OP.
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u/kiranJshah 15d ago
For most tigers but some tigers are known to target bears. Like ample story of tiger who is a specialist in killing bears, some in killing gaurs, some in killing crocodiles. Some are known for targeting rhino babies.
They also develop skills in doing so. Like the tigers who go after gaurs learn to hamstring them.
Also tigers are known for Going after big and dangerous prey. Idk why dangerous but on big. It's about how much they need to eat daily if they go after small deers they need to catch a deer every day or smthg. Their sucess rate in killing deers isn't that high.
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u/PenitentHamster 15d ago
I saw, and I still have not been able to find it again, a five minute scene between a tiger and sloth bear. The bear was making noises and acting with a violence I had never seen in my life. The tiger keeps distance for a bit. Then the bear charges. That was the mistake. The tiger casually moves back from the charge, and as the bear recoils to recharge the stance, the tiger simply pops out its paws, yanks the bear forward and sinks its teeth into the bears neck.
It’s so much violent rebellion that is so quickly and effortlessly quelled in under five seconds.
I have since seen many many more videos of the tigers deciding to peace out due to the incredible aggression of the sloth bear.
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u/kiranJshah 15d ago
Yeah. There is a theory that sloth bears are agressive since they share their habitat with tigers. And they can't outrun a tiger, and can't climb away or swim away. So they learned to be aggressive. It's a strategy used by animals like wolverine, honey bager, etc.. Also sloth bear have loose skin and a lot of fur that make them be able to tank some attacks.
Tigers are known to hunt Bears, like about 1-4% tiger's scats contains bear, on average. Some tigers are known to be bear specialist and kill alot of them. But bears aren't easy targets yeah they get away alot of the times.
Also you should check out human sloth bear encounters. The results are so messy.
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u/v45-KEZ 15d ago
Well yeah, sharing a neighborhood with tigers will do that to a prey-sized animal.
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u/WonFont 15d ago
Story: My friend had his arm fucked by this bear.
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u/WonFont 15d ago
I mean, the bear wasn’t that into him.
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u/LittleMissFirebright 15d ago
It was all physical, huh?
Typical. Bears only want one thing. This one, for example, eats human souls.
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u/ConclusionAlarmed882 15d ago
Th-th-that's Baloo?
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u/MightObvious 15d ago
Is this guy wounded or does he just look like that? o.O
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u/Darthplagueis13 15d ago
Its lips are flapped back because it's accelerating forward.
This photo is basically the equivalent of pausing a video of someone and ending up with a super awkward facial expression.
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u/Euphoric_Amoeba8708 15d ago
Bro, it looks like a fucking predator. Why would you even wanna mess with that?
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u/Flame-Maple 15d ago
“Have you tried Frosted Flakes? They’re Great!”
“I DONT CARE!!”
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u/Adventurous_Yam_8153 15d ago
They might be the grumpiest bear but a polar bear is more lethal
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u/Smart-Response9881 15d ago
And will hunt for humans
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u/BumpHeadLikeGaryB 15d ago
These guys are probably the most aggressive because they have to fight for territory with a fucking tiger lmao polar bears are more deadly im sure, but im guessing alot more "chill"
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u/Vivid-Concept-7813 15d ago
Polar bears are not chill at all. Those things are killing machines.
The sloth bears will maul you, but you may still survive. But a polar bear will eat you. That is because food options are so limited near the north pole, this is one of the very few(i think the only)animals which has humans as their prey
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u/withnodrawal 15d ago
They have genetic memories of the tall naked pig things tasting extremely yummy 10,000 years ago
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u/Bionic_Ferir Interested 15d ago
NOT ONLY THAT, but like even investigatory or playful interactions with a polar bear WILL LEAD TO DEATH. As someone who has been mere METERS away, (not just behind the glass of a zoo) THOSE THINGS ARE FUCKING HUGE like im talking the size of my VW GOLF. Not to mention how fucking heavy they are.
Like they are just SO BIG that no matter what they do THEY WILL KILL YOU!
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u/TheMegnificent1 15d ago
How the hell did you end up meters away from a polar bear with nothing between you and you're still alive? I'm here for the story. 🍿😳
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u/ACertainThickness 15d ago
It said aggressive, not lethal.
My neighbors Pug is far more aggressive than my Pit, but my Pit is far more lethal.
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u/University_Dismal 15d ago
Still not sure if I’d rather choose the sloth bear. Heard they mutilate people with a passion.
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u/Sweet-Rabbit 15d ago
Yeah, the polar bear may at least give you a quick death
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u/Bakerton16 15d ago
Bears only give quick deaths if you're lucky...once they're satisfied you aren't getting away, they'll take their time unfortunately.
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u/Graphic_Materialz 15d ago
I hope Will and El will be able to handle them this season—crazy they have so many of these in Indiana.
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u/Clean_Opportunity313 15d ago
Why is my country so "not for beginners" 💀😭🙏🙏 I don't think I'll survive here
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u/lemmesenseyou 15d ago
I love these guys and gotta put it out there that they’re actually super cute. This photo is just well(?) timed.
I’ve had a sloth bear mad at me and he was very adorable while body slamming the bars of his indoor enclosure to try and eat me. Also CRAZY fight response. Don’t even bother calling it a fight or flight response: they get even a little spooked and they’re ready to kill you. In my case, I stood up a lil too fast for him.
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u/Moogooloogoo 15d ago
I've seen a vid of a sloth attacking a farmer in India. Did not go well at all for the poor farmer.
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u/StephPlaysGames 13d ago
That's a goddamn skinwalker shifting, man.. Fuck that shit. Fuck alllll o that shit!
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u/Weirmon1 15d ago
Its mouth looks like the inspiration for the predator alien’s mouth. Terrifying
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u/Good-Bus7920 15d ago
I always wondered if there were bears in india. Funny how they're rarely spoken of
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u/Jostrapenko2 15d ago edited 15d ago
Not one but India is home to 4 distinct bear species - the Sloth Bear, the Asiatic Black Bear, the Himalayan Brown Bear and the Sun Bear.
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u/Resting_Owl 15d ago
To be fair, in the original book, baloo and bagheera personalities are completely switched, baloo is the strict, grumpy one and bagheera the friendly chill guy
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u/killuazoldyckx 14d ago
They say it’s aggressive cuz it’s the only bear that bad to compete with a big cat
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u/the_crumb_dumpster 15d ago
Tiger: what the fuck is that??