A screenshot of a trending video that many suspect is a human disguised as a sun bear due to the folds of skin on its back and its slender hind legs. /Screenshot
Hangzhou Zoo in eastern China recently grabbed a lot of attention after visitors posted videos online suggesting that the sun bears in the zoo were in fact "humans in disguise."
Denying any suggestion that the bears might be people in costumes, Hangzhou Zoo made it clear on its social media account that the bears are, in fact, authentic.
The zoo currently hosts two sun bears. Other than standing upright, they have another distinctive characteristic: they can extend their exceptionally long tongues to extract insects and honey when foraging.
A file photo of a sun bear shows its exceptionally long tongue. /CFP
Sun bears are the smallest of all the bear species. Standing at 1 to 1.3 meters tall on their hind legs, they are a lot smaller than the black or brown bears, and especially small compared to grizzlies and other species that can reach 2.8 meters. Some adult sun bears are similar in size to large dogs.
As a rare species in China, debate over whether the sun bear is real or not has happened before. Some previous confusion was caused when a bear waved back to park visitors, leading many of them to assume they were being understood by the bear.
A photo taken on October 5, 2021, shows a sun bear greeting visitors by standing upright on its slender hind legs. /CFP