The sun bear or "honey bear" has a voracious appetite for honeycombs and honey. However, "honey bear" can also refer to a kinkajou, which is an unrelated member of the Procyonidae family.

The name comes from the pale horseshoe shape on their chests, which is said to resemble the setting or rising sun. Each bear's crest is individual--like fingerprints.

Sun bears use their remarkable 8 to 9 inch tongues to extract honey, termites, beetle and bee larvae, and some types of fruits.

The reclusive sun bear is the smallest member of the bear family. It grows to only about half the size of an American black bear.

Sun bears make ground nests and give birth to one or two blind, helpless cubs that weigh about 11 ounces. Mothers have actually been observed cradling a cub in their arms while walking on their hind legs, a rare trait among bears.

They consume figs in massive quantities, usually swallowing them whole.

The loose skin of the sun bear, particularly around the neck, is an evolutionary trait and defense mechanism. If caught by a predator, the loose skin allows the sun bear to spin its head around and bite its attacker.

Although tigers and other large cats are potential predators, the main predator of sun bears by far is man. Commercial poaching of bears for the wildlife trade is a considerable threat in most countries and sun bear meat is eaten by indigenous people on the island of Borneo.

The median life expectancy for sun bears is about 25 years, but Dresena, a resident of Reid Park Zoo in Tucson, lived to the ripe old age of 34 years.

They spend a lot of time in tree canopies and even build "beds" of twigs and leaves on the branches to sleep in.