Which bear species has the longest claws?

The sloth bear is the bear species known for having the longest claws.

Its claws are long, curved and sickle-shaped, an adaptation closely connected to its unusual diet. Sloth bears specialize in ants, termites and other insects. They use their claws and powerful forelimbs to tear open termite mounds and rotting wood, then form their mobile lips into a tube and suck up the insects. The loud vacuum-like feeding sound can be heard from a considerable distance.

Those claws help with excavation, but they also make adult sloth bears less agile climbers than some other bears. Mothers compensate by carrying cubs on their backs, especially when predators such as tigers are nearby. Sloth bears can climb, but their elongated claws are not ideal for rapid movement on every type of tree surface.

The name “sloth bear” does not mean the animal is related to tree sloths or unusually lazy. It was named partly because early observers thought its shaggy appearance and movements resembled a sloth. The species is native to the Indian subcontinent and is also called the Indian bear. Its scientific name is Melursus ursinus.