The Honey Hunters
Ranthambhore, 22 July: Sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) omnivores by nature can eat anything from termites to small berries, fruits, even some small mammals, birds to reptiles but it is believed that their favorite food is honey.
They are the Honey Hunters of the forest, bees make beehives on the height of large trees sometimes even in a dense shrub or sometimes in a cave or a cliff but obviously near a water source.
These cool resting places of forest attracts many animals including Tigers and sometimes near the huge tree where there is a beehive you can see a Tiger resting in a water hole.
Therefore in search of this delicious food Sloth sometimes comes across in conflict situations with Tigers.
Tigers who are not at all interested in honey don't like any disturbance at the resting place, so they sometimes chase away the bear or leave the place avoiding conflict.
Other Honey Hunters are Oriental Honey Buzzard a large raptor (Bird of Prey) and Honey Badger (Mallivora capensis) are found in eating honey and honey bee larvae.
Honey with nutritious value, rich in calories, sugar, fructose, glucose, maltose, and sucrose is a sweet delight for Honey Hunters of the forest.
The hairy fur of Sloth bears gives them a protective shield against the stings of the (female) worker bees. The male drone bees don't have a sting, therefore drones are no threat to any intruder.
It practically takes almost 3-4 weeks for bees to start producing honey in a new beehive but it will only take few seconds for the intruder to ransack the hive. Sometimes monkeys are also seen raiding a beehive.
Tags : Blog ckb news Conservation of forests and tigers Ranthambhore national park Sloth bears (Melursus ursinus)
om sai
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- om sai
- Februari 24, 1995
- Ranathambore National Park Rajasthan, SWM 322001
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