Andean Bear (Spectacled Bear)
Tremarctos ornatus (Cuvier, 1825)
Range: Northwestern South America (Andes Mountains)
Habitat: Cloud Forest, Dry Forest, Scrub
Diet: Fruit, Bromeliads, Cacti, Bamboo, Small Vertebrates, Carrion
Social Grouping: Solitary
Reproduction: Breeding April-June. 1-3 cubs born between December and February. Gestation period 5.5 - 8.5 months (variation due to delayed implantation). Cubs stay with mother for over 1 year, become sexually mature at 4-6 years old.
Lifespan: 20 Years (Average, Wild)
Conservation Status: IUCN Vulnerable, CITES Appendix I
- Largest carnivore in South America. 1.2-2 meters, 70-90 centimeters at the shoulder. Tail 7 centimeters long. Short muzzle and ears. Males weigh 100-175 kilograms, females weigh 60-80 kilograms
- Coat is black or brown, sometimes with a reddish tinge. Highly variable white or cream-colored marks around the eyes (hence the other common name of "spectacled bear"), sometimes extending onto the neck or chest. These markings may be absent in some individuals.
- Active by day. Excellent climbers. Make nests in trees for foraging or for resting and sleeping.
- Adults have no predators. Cubs may be threatened by pumas, jaguars (though the two overlap little in the wild due to habitat preferences), and adult male Andean bears.
- Make seasonal movements up and down mountains, traveling to lowlands in cooler weather and back up the mountain during warm.
- Only bear species in South America, and the last remaining member of the genus Tremarctos, the prehistoric short-faced bears once found in North and South America
- Threatened by habitat loss, hunted for skin, meat, fat, and claws. Sometimes persecuted as an agricultural pest, as it occasionally raids crops or takes livestock
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