Spectacled Bears

Tremaretos ornatus

The only species of bear living in South America is the Tremarctos ornatus, which is the Spectacled bear. These bears are the sole survivors of the short-faced bear family that lived in North and South America during the last Ice Age. Today, they are only found in the Andes mountains from Venezuela to Chile.

Spectacled bears get their name from the light colored rings around the eyes that sometimes look like eyeglasses. These marks vary greatly from bear to bear and sometimes extend from the cheeks to the chest. The pattern is usually a half-circle or sometimes a large circle surrounding the eyes with white fur. The rest of the bear's coat is black and shaggy in appearance. The adults weigh between 175 and 275 pounds and stand about 30 inches high at the shoulder when on all fours. Average lengths are between 4.25 and 6.25 feet. Males may weigh up to 385 pounds and the lengths can get up to 7.25 feet, not including their three inch tail. The Spectacled bear has 13 ribs which is one less than other bears. It has a large skull equipped with strong teeth and powerful jaws.

Small populations of Spectacled bears can be found from 600 feet elevation to 13,800 feet (at the snow line) within their Andean range. There are a few bears being protected in Ecuador, on the western slopes of the Andes, which is at the Cayambe-Coca National Park. Conservation efforts are being made and supported between the central and eastern Andean ranges to let the bears have a travel corridor. Recently, an interagency committee was created to coordinate government actions in the historical sanctuary at Macchu Picchu, Peru. The bears are reported to be more numerous on the eastern side of the Andes. These bears have been found in Venezuela, Colombia and Bolivia. In a few isolated areas in Panama, Brazil and Argentina, researchers believe it is possible that Spectacled bears still survive in some groups, but it has not yet been confirmed.

The Spectacled bear is more vegetarian than most other bears. These bears eat fruit, sugar cane, corn and honey. They also eat an array of plants so tough to chew other animals can rarely eat them. Like all bears, Spectacled bears take advantage of any concentrated food source and will eat other animals if given an opportunity. This may include rabbits, mice, ants, birds, llamas and domestic cattle. Meat can make up seven percent of their diet.

Female Spectacled bears begin to reproduce when around four years old. The breeding period is usually April through June. Births are usually in November through February. Birth weights usually range from 11 to 18 ounces. The cub's eyes open in about 25 days and soon the cubs are traveling with their mother. Sometimes adult males accompany a family group, but Spectacled bears do not usually travel in pairs. The cubs will ride on their mother's back if they are alarmed and are trying to escape. Mothers are reported to carry food to their cubs which accompany their mother for six to eight months before being on their own.

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the ancient Incas happily coexisted with the Spectacled bears. The Spaniards considered the bear a symbol of "machismo", or maleness. In the 1800's after the Spanish conquests, it was a popular sport to run bears down on horseback and spear them. After slaying a Spectacled bear, the hunters would drink its blood in the belief it would impart some of the animal's strength. Nowadays, whenever the bears are encountered in South America they are killed. These bears are very hard to be protected because of the extensive area to be patrolled and numerous political problems.

The few remaining bears now live in isolated dense forests on steep mountains. But the bears are still in danger because farmers are moving into the forests. Their present land can no longer support them and they are destroying the wilderness and the bears along with it. In the estimation of biologists, there are about 2000 bears in the wild and 100 in captivity. To increase their numbers, zoos are starting breeding programs.

Flora M. Evan