melursus ursinus

2 definitions found

melursus ursinus - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Sloth \Sloth\, n. [OE. slouthe, sleuthe, AS. sl?w?, fr. sl[=a]w
     slow. See Slow.]
     1. Slowness; tardiness.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              These cardinals trifle with me; I abhor
              This dilatory sloth and tricks of Rome. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Disinclination to action or labor; sluggishness; laziness;
        idleness.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              [They] change their course to pleasure, ease, and
              sloth.                                --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears.
                                                    --Franklin.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Zool.) Any one of several species of arboreal edentates
        constituting the family Bradypodidae, and the suborder
        Tardigrada. They have long exserted limbs and long
        prehensile claws. Both jaws are furnished with teeth (see
        Illust. of Edentata), and the ears and tail are
        rudimentary. They inhabit South and Central America and
        Mexico.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The three-toed sloths belong to the genera Bradypus
           and Arctopithecus, of which several species have been
           described. They have three toes on each foot. The
           best-known species are collared sloth (Bradypus tridactylus
           ), and the ai (Arctopitheus ai). The
           two-toed sloths, consisting the genus Cholopus, have
           two toes on each fore foot and three on each hind foot.
           The best-known is the unau (Cholopus didactylus) of
           South America. See Unau. Another species (Cholopus Hoffmanni
           ) inhabits Central America.
           Various large extinct terrestrial edentates, such as
           Megatherium and Mylodon, are often called sloths.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     Australian sloth, or Native sloth (Zool.), the koala.
  
     Sloth animalcule (Zool.), a tardigrade.
  
     Sloth bear (Zool.), a black or brown long-haired bear
        (Melursus ursinus, or Melursus labiatus), native of
        India and Ceylon; -- called also aswail, labiated  bear
        , and jungle bear. It is easily tamed and can be
        taught many tricks.
  
     Sloth monkey (Zool.), a loris.
        [1913 Webster]

melursus ursinus - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  Melursus ursinus
      n 1: common coarse-haired long-snouted bear of south-central
           Asia [syn: sloth bear, Melursus ursinus, Ursus ursinus
           ]