Pada mulanya dipikirkan terkait dengan sloth [[Amerika Selatan]], Shaw and Nodder pada tahun 1791 menyebutnya ''Bradypus ursinus'' mencatat bahwa ia seperti beruang tetapi givingdiberikan weightbeban todengan thecakar longpanjang clawsdan andtidak theadanya absencegigi ofseri uppertengah middle incisorsatas. Meyer (1793) identified it as a bear and called it ''Melursus lybius'' and in 1817, de Blainville called it ''Ursus labiatus'' because of the long lips. Iliger called it ''Prochilus hirsutus'', the Greek genus name indicating long lips while the specific name noted its long and coarse hair. Fischer called it ''Chondrorhynchus hirsutus'' while Tiedemann called it ''Ursus longirostris''.<ref>{{cite journal|url= http://www.archive.org/stream/zoologicalmagazi00owen#page/81/mode/1up |pages=81–85| journal=The Zoological Magazine. Number 3|title=The Labiated Bear|year=1833|author=Owen, R}}</ref>
