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Spectacled Bears
(Tremarctos ornatus)
The spectacled bear, also called the "ucumari" or Andean bear, received its popular name because it appears to be wearing glasses.
It is the only bear found in South America where it is the largest carnivore and the second largest land mammal next to the tapir .
The spectacled bear is directly descended from the extinct short-faced "bulldog" bear (Arctodus simus) which roamed north and south america as the largest predator during the last ice age.
The spectacled bear is a rare and endangered species (see map). It is possible that there are less than 2,000 of these bears still in the wild. The cloud forest habitat in which it lives is rapidly disappearing under the increasing deforestation of the land to support subsistence agriculture.
Its range extends along the slopes of the Andes mountains in Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Small pockets of a few spectacled bears may also live in southern Panama and northern Argentina on the respective northern and southern limits of the Andean mountain range.
Its preferred habitat is the moist tropical forest which exists between the desert scrub present at lower elevations and the alpine meadows at the higher elevations within the Andes.
The spectacled bear is a large mammal whose size and weight show high variability depending on food availability, climatic conditions, etc.
In general, adult spectacled bears are about 76 centimeters (30 inches) tall when on all fours and they have an average length of 130 to 190 centimeters (4 1/4 to 6 1/4 feet).
The weight of a spectacled bears may range between 80 and 125 kilograms (175 to 275 pounds) with some adult males topping the scales in excess of 175 kilograms (385 pounds). Females are generally about two-thirds the size of males.
The potential lifespan of spectacled bears in the wild is estimated to be in excess of twenty-five years or more.
Spectacled bears have a heavy body, short tail, rounded ears, plantigrade feet (i.e., both heel and toe make contact with the ground when walking in a manner similar to humans). They are unique among bears in that they have thirteen pairs of ribs, one less than all the other bear species.
The skull is comparatively large in relation to body size and spectacled bears are equipped with very powerful jaws and strong teeth.
Their claws are highly adapted to climbing and they are very much an animal of the
trees.
While members of the order Carnivora , they have evolved primarily into vegetarians with accompanying changes in their teeth structure and digestive tract.
The shaggy fur coat of the spectacled bear is black. However, they have distinctive white or light tawny markings around the eyes which have been said to make these bears look like they are wearing glasses. The white or tawny patterning is unique for each animal and can often extend down onto the chest.
Spectacled bears, as with all bears, seek foods which will return the highest nutritional value for the least expenditure of energy. Seasonal availability and geographic location are the biggest factors determining the primary food sources of bears.
From what we know at present, the spectacled bear is primarily a plant eater. Researchers have reported that while it will catch and eat small rodents, birds, carrion and insects, they account for less than 5 per cent of its diet.
Fruit, sugarcane and corn are often regular parts of its diet. In addition, tough plant items such as unopened palms leaves, palm nuts, orchid pseudobulbs and bromeliad hearts will also be eaten when necessary.
Being agile climbers, spectacled bears readily take to the trees for food gathering. They have been observed up to 15 meters (49 feet) above the ground gathering fruit from trees.
The size of the home range of an individual spectacled bear will most certainly vary with the concentration of high energy food sources throughout different parts of the Andes mountain range. Thus, the more concentrated the food sources, the smaller the range necessary to maintain an individual bear.
Because of the extremely dense jungle, to date no studies involving placing radio-equipped collars on selected bears has been done. It is hoped that this information will be forthcoming in the near future to assist in developing establishing the size of the conservation areas that will be needed in order to ensure the survival of these bears in the wild.
Female spectacled bears normally mature at about 4 years of age. Copulation normally takes place in a manner similar to members of the canine (dog) family.
Mating usually takes place between April and June. It appears that the female is in estrus for a short period of between one and five days. The cubs are usually born sometime between November and February.
The gestation period in female spectacled bears has been observed to be between five and a half and eight months. This leads to very strong speculation that spectacled bears also appear to use what has been called delayed implementation. The actual timing of the birth of the cubs appears to be approximately six weeks before the peak of the fruit season.
Through the process of delayed implementation, the fertilized ovum divides a few times and then floats free within the uterus for several months with its development arrested. The embryo will then attach itself to the uterine wall and after a period of probably about six to ten weeks, the cubs will be born to the mother who retires to a nest under some rocks or tree roots.
Delayed implantation clearly serves an important survival need for the mother and the cubs. By having the cubs born several weeks before the peak of the fruit season and thus able to leave the nest with their mother as she forages, there is a greater opportunity of sufficient food resources being available for the mother and also to allow her to produce sufficient milk to suckle her young.
Should there not be sufficient food resources available to the female spectacled bear in a particular year, it is presumed that the embryo will not implant and it is simply reabsorbed by her body.
The number of cubs born is presumed to be either one or two. Three cubs have been born in captivity but this is probably not the rule in the wild. Again, climate and food supply will be important determinants to the size of the litter.
At birth, the cubs are blind and very tiny. They weigh from 300 to 500 grams (11 to 18 ounces). Helpless at birth, the cubs develop quickly and within a month or shortly thereafter, they are able to forage with their mother.
The survival of bear cubs is extremely tenuous for most bear species. The exact details for the cubs of the spectacled bear are not available because of the lack of ongoing research with these bears.
The cubs will stay with the mother for six to eight months before they are on their own. Their survival is dependent on the skill of the mother in initially protecting them and then teaching them the basics of what to eat, where and how to get it, and how to cope with the dangers of their environment.
There is no recorded observations of spectacled bears hibernating due to the normal availability of food sources throughout the year.
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