Spectacled Bear   

is a member of the Ursidae family (9 species worldwide) and the only bear species native to South America. It is a relatively small bear compared to its larger cousins to the north, like the Grizzly, Kodiak or Polar bear. They have a heavy black fur with lighter patches (white to creamy) around their eyes, from where they got their name. The spectacled bear arrived from the north after the Panama land bridge formed and is probably descended from the North American black bear. Their best sense is their smell and their eyesight is very poorly developed.

The spectacled bear is also called the Andean bear as it makes its living in the Andes, from Argentina to Venezuela. It occupies a wide range of habitats and can be found from 250m to 4000m. In Ecuador it is mostly found in the higher cloudforests (especial on the oriental or Amazon side of the Andes) bordering on the paramo regions. It is omnivorous, eating everything from fruits, plants, larvae, insects to meat. It might hunt smaller animals and eat carrion (dead animals) but mostly it leads a vegetarian life. One of its preferred fruit in Ecuador is that of a tall terrestrial bromeliad called Puya, which grows in higher altitudes, and so helps it to disperse its seeds. They are solitary animals and only meet for a few days to mate. Females have usually a litter of 1 to 2 cubs after a gestation period of around seven months. The young stay with their mother till they are sexually mature and then find their own territory.

Although the spectacled bear can live from lower elevations to right up the glacier, and is not harmful to humans, our only bear specie is threatened by habitat destruction, deforestation and extended agriculture. As it needs a large undisturbed territory to survive, nowadays it can be only found in the most remote regions of the Ecuadorian Andes. Unfortunately, it also represents a hunting trophy to some people and some get killed because a few believe in eating parts of their sexual organs will increase their own sexual powers. This myth, which is especially widespread in Asian countries, not only decimates the Andean bear but to a much higher degree, the more powerful northern cousins. In Canada often dead grizzly bodies are found with only the paws and sexual organs cut away, which are then sold into the Asian market for thousands of dollars.

Location