| Malayan sun bear | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A female Malayan sun bear sitting in her enclosure of zoo Basel | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Ursidae |
| Subfamily: | Ursinae |
| Genus: | Helarctos |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | H. m. malayanus |
| Trinomial name | |
| Helarctos malayanus malayanus (Raffles, 1821) | |
The Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus malayanus) is a subspecies of sun bear, occurring in southeast Asia. [1]
The Malayan sun bear was first described by Stamford Raffles in 1821. [2] The Malayan sun can be found across Malaysia.[ citation needed ]
Although the sun bear is the smallest species in the bear family, its subspecies, the Malayan sun bear is even smaller, with a maximum length of 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) and weight of 35–70 kg (77–154 lb). [2] The Malayan sun bear appears very similar to the sun bear,[ clarification needed ] but is distinguishable by its golden-white chest patch, which is thinner than that of the sun bear. [3]
The Malayan sun bear can be found in mainly coastal areas in southeast Asia, but is less dispersed within it than the sun bear,[ clarification needed ] with specific populations living as follows: [1]
Like the sun bear, the Malayan sun bear lives within rainforests (both evergreen and deciduous) of diverse altitudes, ranging from coastal, lowland areas to mountainous regions of above 2,000 m (6,600 ft). [2]
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Unlike the sun bear,[ clarification needed ] the Malayan sun bear is primarily nocturnal, although it is also active in the daytime. [3] However, equally to the sun bear, they do not hibernate like other bears due to their warm, tropical environment, which provides nutrients all year round. [3]
Similarly to the sun bear,[ clarification needed ] the Malayan sun bear is omnivorous and eats fruit, honey, and nuts. [4] The meat in their diet is composed of insects such as termites, bee larvae and beetle larvae. [2] They can reach these foods with their long tongues (which can reach 30 cm (1 ft)) and claws. [5]
In 2025, the Malayan sun bear along with the Bornean sun bear (Helarctos malayanus euryspilus), were selected to be new campaign mascots for Visit Malaysia Year 2026. [6]