The Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus), also known as Andean Bear, has black fur with a distinctive beige-coloured marking across its face and upper chest. Males can weigh up to 130 kg, and females 60kg. They are located in few areas of South America, including Western Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Western Bolivia and Panama. It is the only bear native to South America. Next to Panda Bears they are the most endangered species of bear in the world, though their survival has depended mostly on their fantastic ability to traverse even the highest trees of the Andes Amazonian Forest Basin.

Habitat

The bears make their habitat around the Andes Tropical basin, where an abundance of water and vegetation provides an adequate supplement to their very basic dietary needs of roots, leaves, shoots, berries, occasionally insects, rodents and carrion. They are nocturnal and crepuscular, and it does not truly annually hibernate (though it will den up in inclement weather). Being an arboreal bear, it lives mostly in dens near to high canopy tropical rainforest, or occasionally in the surrounding trees to avoid danger of predatory mammals.

The young bear has an instinctive urge to climb trees, rocks and cliffsides from birth as the inordinately protective mother teaches it to reach the highest and most nutritious foods.

Society

Although the bears tend to isolate themselves from one another to avoid competition, they are non-territorial.

When encountered by humans or other spectacled bears, they will react in a docile but cautious manner, unless the intruder is seen as a threat or a mother's cubs are endangered. Mothers are recorded to have attacked poachers in an extremely brutal fashion, though no deaths have been recorded by South American State Governments.

Adaptations

The Spectacled Bear is adapted to the rainforest as it has a very keen sense of smell and a large nose for finding food in small soil crevices and on high tree canopies. The bear also has sharp, elongated claws for digging root systems and uprooting plants.

The bear can also identify different species of bears by recognition of the Spectacle Marking on each species' nose and upper chest. The bear is able to plan its pregnancy and labour in order to give birth in the most plentiful food season.

External Links

• Costa Rican Spectacled Bear
• Venezuelan Spectacled Bear