Sloth bears help shape India’s dry forests as unlikely seed dispersers

Researchers surveying the Aravalli range in Rajasthan between 2021 and 2022 analyzed 180 sloth bear droppings and found the animals' diet flips from plant-heavy in winter to insect-heavy in summer, with ants dominating winter scat and termites taking over by summer.

The team, including scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India and Mohanlal Sukhadia University, tested germination of eight key plant species and found seeds from six species stayed viable after passing through a bear, with one species sprouting twice as fast from scat as from fruit.

The bears also spread the invasive shrub Lantana camara, though only three of 25 scat-collected seeds germinated. Researchers say the findings highlight an overlooked ecological role for omnivores typically ignored in favor of predators and big herbivores.

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