Tremarctos ornatus

Spectacled bear (scientific name: Tremarctos ornatus) is also known as Andean Bear. It is the only bear species in South America and has no subspecies.

Spectacled bears migrate by movement, with a range of 7-27 square kilometers. These bears are unlikely to be highly territorial, as they have been observed gathering in small groups where food is plentiful. The home range of spectacled bears varies seasonally and by sex. Males are reported to have an average home range of 23 square kilometers in the wet season and 27 square kilometers in the dry season. Females are reported to have an average home range of 10 square kilometers in the wet season and 7 square kilometers in the dry season.

Spectacled bears are usually active at dawn or at night, and spend the daytime sleeping in tree holes, rock caves, or between tree trunks. Spectacled bears are skilled climbers, so they are happy to spend more time in trees. They sometimes simply make nests in trees, where they can lie comfortably while waiting for fruits to ripen. Spectacled bears do not need to hibernate, as the food source in their habitat is abundant and available year-round.

The activity pattern of the spectacled bear is primarily diurnal, but varies with season and geographic region. Since food is available throughout much of its range year-round, the spectacled bear does not hibernate. They tend to be solitary animals (except for females with cubs), but have been reported to congregate in areas where food is plentiful. These bears are excellent climbers and spend a great deal of time in trees. One of the more unique characteristics of the spectacled bear is their use of platforms or "nests" that the bears build in the understory of trees where they forage. These platforms are also used for sleeping.

Spectacled bears are omnivores that are very fond of fruit, especially bromeliads. Their upper and lower jaws are very strong, and dissection of the skull and dentition shows that their teeth are adapted for grinding to aid in the consumption of fibrous, hard plant foods. Perhaps because of this, pineapples make up a significant portion of their diet, approaching 50%. In order to pick fruits, they will climb trees or tall cacti, climbing more than 10 meters high, and can flexibly climb from one tree to another. In the season when the fruits are about to ripen, they will even wait on the trees for three or four days for their beloved delicacies. Fruits are of course not available in every season. On other days, they will look for other foods, such as various berries, cacti, honey, plant roots, bamboo, and sugarcane. In addition, in order to enrich their diet, they will also prey on small rodents, birds and insects, and sometimes they will prey on tapirs. If there is really not much to eat, they will also raid free-range livestock, and this meat food is roughly estimated to account for about 4% of the diet. These animals and plants provide the carbohydrates, proteins and fats necessary for a balanced diet. Spectacled bears will also raid farmers' crops, especially corn, which often leads to spectacled bears being shot.

Smell is the main way for spectacled bears to communicate. At least five different vocalizations have been described between mothers and cubs.

Spectacled bears are seasonal breeders, with mating season occurring from April to June. Couples stay together for several days, during which time they mate several times. Cubs are born between November and February, with a gestation period of 6-8 months. This long gestation period is due to delayed implantation of the fertilized egg. This delayed implantation is beneficial to the baby's future growth, and the cubs are usually born a few months before the fruit season begins, allowing them to be weaned before the fruit ripens and is eaten. Spectacled bear mothers give birth to 1-4 cubs at a time, with twins being the most common. Cubs are small at birth, weighing only 300-360 grams, and their size is proportional to the weight of the female and the abundance and variety of food sources. Cubs are born with their eyes closed, and their eyes open around 30-42 days, and when they are 3 months old, they can follow their mother outside. Spectacled bear cubs stay with their mother for up to a year after birth. During this period, they are completely dependent on their mother. The cub's father does not participate in feeding, and males may eat cubs that come into contact with them. Both male and female bears reach sexual maturity between 4 and 6 years old. Spectacled bears in captivity live about 20-25 years. The longest lifespan was at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where a spectacled bear lived to 36 years and 8 months old.

This species is a polygynous species with delayed implantation. In captivity, females show 3-4 estrous cycles in a breeding season, with no seasonal ovarian activity. Mating has been recorded in the wild at different times of the year, but peaks between March and October. Litter size varies from 1-4 and may be related to female weight and food abundance. Field observations in Bolivia indicate that parturition occurs 2-3 months before the fruit season, probably because mothers can leave the den with their cubs when fruit is plentiful. In captivity, birth timing varies with latitude, but births generally occur from February to September.

Based on expert knowledge over the years, data extrapolation, genetic analysis, tag retrieval, radio tracking and symbol surveys, and ecological models have been used to estimate population size and density of spectacled bears. Wild populations are declining due to habitat loss and fragmentation and illegal killing. National assessments using different methodologies have estimated 1,100-1,600 bears in Venezuela in 2003, 3,000-6,000 in Colombia in 2003, 1,200-2,000 in Ecuador in 2007, and about 3,000 bears in Bolivia in 2010. These rough country-wide estimates yield a range of 13,000-18,000 bears (5-7 bears per 100 km2) within its 260,000 km2 range, which is reasonably consistent with three empirically derived mark-recapture (re-sight) density estimates of 3-8 bears per 100 km2 (2007). It should be noted, however, that all abundance and density estimates for this species have known biases, so agreement between estimates is not a validation of their accuracy.

As with many species, habitat loss plays a major role in the decline of the spectacled bear. In Ecuador alone, an estimated 40% of suitable habitat has been lost within the spectacled bear's natural range. This has resulted in isolated small island populations of bears. Because spectacled bears rely on different habitats for food in different seasons, large areas must be protected to ensure that the bears have adequate food supply year-round. Although spectacled bears are fairly docile animals that do not cause trouble and have no record of killing people even when angry, they are still hunted by humans. Because their meat, fur, blood and bones can be sold for money, poachers will not pass up this opportunity. As habitat gradually decreases, their colonies are gradually fragmented, forming multiple "isolated islands", which makes the future of these animals even more worrying. However, the protection measures taken by governments for spectacled bears are still extremely limited. Some national parks lack sufficient funding support, and local governments have to protect the interests of farmers, so that some farmers have been allowed to use those protected lands.

Listed in Appendix II of CITES of the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016 ver 3.1 - Vulnerable (VU).

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Distributed in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, southwestern Argentina, and southern Panama in central and western South America. The spectacled bear's range is the tropical zone along the Andes Mountains, occupying an area of ​​about 260,000 square kilometers. The lower limit is in western Peru; the upper limit is in Carrasco National Park in Bolivia.
Spectacled bears inhabit a variety of habitats throughout their range, including rainforests, high-altitude and sparsely treed grasslands, dry forests, and scrub deserts, most commonly found in dense forests where there is plenty of food and shelter. They are also found in alpine cold vegetation, shrubs and grasslands, or coastal deserts with low scrub. These bears travel between various types of habitats according to seasonal changes, but the timing of these migrations and what drives them is unclear. They have been found at altitudes of 475-3658 meters, mostly between 190-2350 meters.

The spectacled bear is 120-200 cm long, 70-90 cm tall at the shoulder, 7 cm long tail, 100-175 kg for males and 64-82 kg for females. It is not a giant in the bear family, but a medium-sized bear. The hair of the spectacled bear is medium-length, and the hair color of the whole body is usually uniformly black, but there are also individuals with reddish brown or dark brown. The fur is very thick, dense and rough. They have a unique appearance. The mouth and nose are lighter in color like most bears, but the most distinctive feature is that there is a circle of thick or thin milky white lines around their eyes, which separates the black spots on the eyes and forms a ring around the eyes. From a distance, it looks like wearing a pair of black sunglasses, which is why the spectacled bear got its name. This circle of milky white lines often converges at the throat and continues to extend down the throat to form a chest spot. The lighter chest spot varies greatly, and each spectacled bear i