Photo: (c) Morten Ross, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist
Spectacled Bear
Tremarctos ornatus
Climbs misty cloud forests and high slopes, often up in trees.
About the Spectacled Bear
The spectacled bear is the only bear in South America and the last surviving member of the short-faced bear lineage. The pale markings around the eyes and across the muzzle vary between individuals and give the species its name, though some animals have almost none. It lives along the Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia, mostly in cloud forest and high grassland.
How it lives
It is overwhelmingly vegetarian — bromeliads, palm hearts, cactus fruit, bamboo, orchid bulbs — with meat making up a small fraction of the diet. It is a strong climber and builds platforms in trees to rest and feed on, which is one of the few reliable ways to detect it. Spectacled bears are solitary and shy, and much of what is known about them comes from camera traps rather than direct observation. They do not hibernate, since food is available year round.
Where it lives
Climbs misty cloud forests and high slopes, often up in trees. Its main habitat is the Andes Mountains, where the climate is thin, cold mountain air — sunny days and frosty nights.
Notable facts
- South America's only bear.
- Pale rings around its eyes look like spectacles.
- The real-life inspiration for Paddington Bear.
Conservation
IUCN Red List status: Vulnerable. Facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
The species is vulnerable, with the Andean forests it depends on being cleared for agriculture, cattle and mining, and its range increasingly cut into disconnected fragments. Bears that raid maize fields or take calves get shot, and there is some trade in gall bladders and paws. Because it disperses seeds of many high-altitude plants, its decline has effects well beyond the bear itself.
Read the Wikipedia article →
