Bears and Elephants

[brobear]

Ursus arctos pruinosus posted in the Polar Bear section: I have read the thread regarding the sloth bear aggression account. Essentially they have aggressive interactions with tigers and even to elephants and rhinos at times. This has got me wondering if polar bears have ever shown aggression towards mammoths and rhinos (e.g. a male polar bear driving away a woolly mammoth or rhino which comes too close or a female polar bear attacking one of the two large mammals to protect her cubs). 
 
Note: I have read bits and pieces ( hints ) of this. Any info concerning sloth bears and elephant or rhinoceros, post here. 

[Deleted]

roaring.earth/tiger-vs-bear/

Tigers are ferocious predators whose sheer size often allows them to dominate their enemies. But an intense battle between this Bengal tiger and sloth bear ended in a surprising victory for the bear, proving that fearless defiance can get you far in the animal world.

The bear and her cub had approached a watering hole in India’s Tadoba National Park when they caught the attention of a highly territorial male tiger who was standing guard. When the tiger began pursuing the cub, the mother immediately stepped in and challenged the big cat.

As one of the largest cat species, with males capable of reaching nearly 700 pounds in body weight, tigers can usually overpower these smaller bears. In fact, they’ve been known to hunt sloth bears occasionally in ambush-style attacks.

But sloth bears can also hold their own against large predators like the tiger, and even rhinos and elephants, when necessary. When threatened, the bear becomes highly aggressive and will actually charge at their attackers. While they mostly feed on termites and rarely prey on other mammals, their sharp claws, large canine teeth and assertive attitude make them formidable opponents for any predator who choose to engage them head-on — even a fully-grown tiger.

In the dramatic video, both animals exchange swipes, with the cat sinking its teeth into the back of the bear’s neck several times. After a lengthy battle, the tiger appears to have gotten the upper hand, but, out of nowhere, the bear seems to summon new strength and frees itself from the tiger’s clutches.

Utilizing a typical bear strategy, the badly injured sloth bear stands on its hind legs to make itself larger and show dominance, before finally chasing the tiger back into the water.

Filmed by Mritunjay Tiwary / Caters News. India on February 28th 2018

domainofthebears.proboards.com/thread/49/predators-sloth-bears?page=2

This account is credited to you brobear. I saw it on the thread: predators of sloth bears.

[brobear]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloth_bear

Asian elephants apparently do not tolerate sloth bears in their vicinity. The reason for this is unknown, as individual elephants known to maintain their composure near tigers have been reported to charge bears. The Indian rhinoceros has a similar intolerance for sloth bears, and will charge at them.

[King Kodiak]

Looks like elephants and rhinos see sloth bears as a threat. But they have more caution with tigers of course.

[Deleted]

That is really surprising as sloth bears normally feed on termites, fruit, and occassionally carrion. I wonder?

[King Kodiak]

Jan 14, 2019 7:49:37 GMT -5 @londonbluebear said:

That is really surprising as sloth bears normally feed on termites, fruit, and occassionally carrion. I wonder?

I would guess they still see sloth bears as a threat somehow, they dont want them in their territory.

[King Kodiak]

SLOTH BEAR CHASING A SMALL ELEPHANT

[OldGreenGrolar]

Now we know that sloth bears can't kill elephants but the account of the bear chasing an elephant was nevertheless impressive. This makes me even more certain that Pleistocene grizzly bears chased off mastodons that come too close occassionally and an extremely hungry polar bear might attack a woolly mammoth (but fail to kill the pachyderm of course) once in a blue moon.
Sloth bears just like the barren ground grizzly bears don't really tolerate much it seems.

[King Kodiak]

Sept 2, 2019 3:39:06 GMT -5 OldGreenGrolar said:

Now we know that sloth bears can't kill elephants but the account of the bear chasing an elephant was nevertheless impressive. This makes me even more certain that Pleistocene grizzly bears chased off mastodons that come too close occassionally and an extremely hungry polar bear might attack a woolly mammoth (but fail to kill the pachyderm of course) once in a blue moon.
Sloth bears just like the barren ground grizzly bears don't really tolerate much it seems.

Yeah i agree with all this. And the key word there is “tolerate”. nope, they dont tolerate absolutely nothing. That is why in India the sloth bear is more feared than bengal tigers. When i saw the sloth bear in the Berlin zoo, it was in the most secure enclousure out of all animals, it had like a very thick glass, almost bulletproof glass or something.

[brobear]

I have read bits and pieces about the strange relationship between sloth bear and elephant. But I have no specifics.

[King Kodiak]

Dec 3, 2019 6:30:19 GMT -5 brobear said:

I have read bits and pieces about the strange relationship between sloth bear and elephant. But I have no specifics.

Well, we have this thread here, but very little info.

domainofthebears.proboards.com/thread/239/sloth-bear-relations-pachyderms

[OldGreenGrolar]

Apart from the sloth bear, the brown bears, black bears, and polar bears have also encountered pachyderms in the past which are now extinct (mastodon, woolly mammoth, woolly rhino etc).

[brobear]

Bear and Elephant relations... a very mysterious INTERSPECIFIC relationship. Any information appreciated.

[smedz]

Dec 3, 2019 13:39:42 GMT -5 brobear said:

Bear and Elephant relations... a very mysterious INTRASPECIFIC relationship. Any information appreciated.

I believe you mean INTERSPECIFIC relationship. Intraspecific is any relationship of a species with others of its own kind. 

[brobear]

Dec 3, 2019 16:27:08 GMT -5 smedz said:

Dec 3, 2019 13:39:42 GMT -5 brobear said:

Bear and Elephant relations... a very mysterious INTRASPECIFIC relationship. Any information appreciated.

I believe you mean INTERSPECIFIC relationship. Intraspecific is any relationship of a species with others of its own kind. 

Thank you smedz; I had that backwards - INTERSPECIFIC.

[King Kodiak]

Honestly, i am searching but cant find nothing. I have searched google books, researchgate,  and newspaper archives, and nothing. That video of reply # 6 is all we got.

[OldGreenGrolar]

I have been searching for interactions too but it seems I am finding one. Brown bears and polar bears have encountered mammoths. My guess, mammoths and mastodons despite being big and strong actually respect the bears especially an aggressive mother protecting her cubs.

Despite being unable to kill the mastodons and mammoths, I am not surprise if brown bears like the grizzly bears use their aggression to get their way around due to being unable to climb like the American black bears. An extremely hungry polar bear might even attack an adult mammoth the same way one attacked a bowhead whale despite the fact the bear will obviously fail.

[brobear]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloth_bear

Relationships with other animals
The large canine teeth of sloth bears, relative to both its overall body size and to the size of the canine teeth of other bear species, and the aggressive disposition of sloth bears, may be a defense in interactions with large, dangerous animals, such as the tiger, elephant, and rhinoceros.
Asian elephants apparently do not tolerate sloth bears in their vicinity. The reason for this is unknown, as individual elephants known to maintain their composure near tigers have been reported to charge bears. The Indian rhinoceros has a similar intolerance for sloth bears, and will charge at them.

[King Kodiak]

You already posted that brobear...reply # 2.

[King Kodiak]

"Asian elephants apparently do not tolerate sloth bears in their vicinity. The reason for this is unknown, as individual elephants known to maintain their composure near tigers have been reported to charge bears. The Indian rhinoceros has a similar intolerance for sloth bears, and will charge at them."

This really is a mistery. Sloth bears are not "predators", and they are not a threat to elephant calves. So i dont see a reason why elephants would not tolerate sloth bears. Are we sure that phrase from wiki is accurate?