Spectacled or Andean Bear
Spectacled or Andean Bear (Tremarctos ornatus) WILD adolescent male feeding on fruiting Aquacartillo trees.
Maquipucuna Foundation Cloud Forest Reserve.
Andes. ECUADOR. South America
Range: Found in a narrow strip from W. Venezuela to the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and northern Argentina.
ENDANGERED (CITES 1)
Spectacled bears are the only bears found in South America. They are vulnerable due to fragmented habitat loss from farming. Although illegal some are still hunted.
They are timid animals and usually run away from people. There are no known attacks on humans. Generally they are solitary but sometimes several are found together in corn fields, fruiting trees or scavenging on a carcass.
