Damai, Sun Bear Cub Diary – Forest Insects

23/5/2013

Text and Photo by Chiew Lin May

Damai is feast the leeches who stick inside her paw.

Do you ever wonder why Damai, 10 months-old female sun bear cub likes to eat beetle larvae, beetles, millipedes and other forest insects? This is because insects contain protein. When you see sun bears flipping decayed wood, climbing tree or digging into logs, this is generally the reason for them doing so.
Beetles, millipedes and other forest insects also considered to be sun bears’ favorite food source beside termites. Damai eats insects by thrusting her paws into a log and grab a handful to eat.  Her powerful claws are used to break into log and get access to the insects. She also detects the insects by her keen sense of smell. Damai flips over the decayed wood and get the insects with a few flicks of her long tongue. Damai gets lucky with these insects. They do sound crunchy when she feasted on them!!

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Damai found a milipede. She is going to feast this delicious millipede !!

She was curious and play with the millipede.

Time to feast beetle !!

Damai have great sense of smell, which helps her in finding the food.

Foraging across the forest floor, Damai will eat practically anything edible she can find.

Damai will try her best to find out any insects hiding inside the log.

Damai has big claws that helps it climb tree, and a long tongue which it uses to extract insects from inside trees.

Damai keep digging until appear a hole to search insects.

​Damai skim the forest floor in search of beetle, beetle larva, millipede and other insects !! Please help us spread the words. You can help preserve and protect wildlife and their habitat.