Spectacled Bear
© Lou Jost
Spectacled Bear
Scientific name is Tremarctos ornatus
The Spectacled Bear is the only bear
in South America.
It is found in these countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and
Venezuela.
What habitat do they live in?
They are also called
‘Andean
There isBears’
another name for these bears, and it is
linked tothey
the habitat
because
are that they live in.
found
along
the
Andes
Click to
find out
what
it is
mountain range, and
they prefer habitat that
is in high places.
© WLT
© Lou Jost
The Spectacled Bear can be
found in a wide variety of
habitats, from cloud forest
(higher and wetter than
rainforest), rainforest,
grassland, and desert scrub.
Why are they threatened?
The habitat of the Spectacled Bear is destroyed
as roads and mines are built and as people
clear forest so that they can grow crops.
This means that the bears have less room to
move around in, and populations may become
What (also
does this
mean?
Click
isolated
called
fragmented).
This means
they are more likely to stray into areas of human
activity and be hunted.
Spectacled Bears are hunted for their meat and
body
parts
– for next?
traditional
What
happens
Click oriental medicine.
They are also killed by farmers, who blame them
for eating their crops and killing their cattle.
How do they communicate?
Spectacled Bears are thought to rely on smell and
on sight. Mothers and cubs may call to each other,
but otherwise the bear does not make sounds.
What do they eat?
© Lou Jost
They eat fruit and plants called
bromeliads, insects, rodents,
birds, berries, grass and wild
bulbs.
Spectacled Bears often climb trees
to search for food.
What is the name for something that eats meat and plants?
Click
here for the
answerare
Spectacled
Bears
omnivores.
How long do they live?
Spectacled Bear in captivity © Kelly Jacobs/WLT
There are reports of Spectacled Bears living up to
39 years in captivity, but no one knows how long
they can live in the wild.
How big are they?
Spectacled Bears can be between 150 cm and 200
Click to find out.
cm
long from head to tail. Their tails are less than 10
cm long, and they are less than 100 cm tall at
shoulder height. Female Spectacled Bears are
smaller than males.
They have pale markings on the face
These
picturesspread
are both
of Spectacled
that
sometimes
around
the
Bears.
to learn
more these
eyes
andClick
down
the chest:
markings can be similar to a pair of
glasses, or spectacles.
Spectacled Bear in captivity © Kelly Jacobs/WLT
What do they look like?
© Paul Salaman
Spectacled Bears are very dark
in colour, black or brown,
sometimes with a reddish tinge.
This Spectacled Bear does not have pale
markings around its eyes. But look closely,
there is a pale patch under its chin.
Tell me about their babies:
How many babies do you
Female
Spectacled
think
Spectacled
Bears
have
andgive
whatbirth
are they
Bears
to
called?
Click tocubs
find out
up to three
between December
and February.
© Eric Baccega/NPL
The cubs ride on
their mothers back
when they are very
small, and they will
stay with her for up to
a year.
Interesting facts:
The facial markings of every Spectacled Bear are
different, just like human fingerprints, and some
Spectacled Bears will not have spectacles at all.
Spectacled Bears often climb trees to find food,
and they are thought to make nests in trees for
resting in.
Spectacled Bears do not need to hibernate as
food is available all year round in tropical
forests.
The Spectacled Bear is not always quiet, if it is
running away from danger it makes a lot of
noise as it crashes through the forest.
A story from the wild:
Eric Horstmann was working on a nature trail in a
National Park in southern Ecuador.
Click to see a picture of the cloud forest on the edge of
the National Park that Eric was working in.
© Fundación Naturaleza y Cultura Ecuador
He was working quite high up in the Andes Mountains where the
roads were very narrow and were made of dirt. The living
conditions were very basic, but he said the spectacular views
made up for it.
A story from the wild:
© Nigel Simpson
A friend of Eric’s had seen a Spectacled Bear
mother and cub in the area, and so Eric hoped that
he would see one too. But Spectacled Bears are
very shy, and there are lots of mountains and
forests for them to hide in.
A story from the wild:
Eric was walking along a dirt road when out of the
cornerfirst
of his
eye he saw
shape moving.
Eric’s
encounter
with a
a dark
Spectacled
Bear wasInover
an instant
the
dark
shape
disappeared
very
quickly.
Click
to learn
what
happened off the road
and crashed noisily through the trees. Spectacled
Bears are very shy, and this one obviously did not
want to be seen.
Click here to learn about Eric’s second encounter with
a Spectacled Bear
One morning Eric went to work on the nature trail
and he found Spectacled Bear footprints on the
muddy path. He decided to name the trail
Spectacled Bear Trail after the very special visitor.
But Eric never saw a Spectacled Bear here again.
© Lou Jost
If you choose the Spectacled Bear as your fundraising
focus, your donation will go towards World Land Trust
projects for the conservation of wildlife habitat in
Ecuador.