Ursidae Atlas

Ursidae · Tremarctinae

Andean Spectacled Bear

Tremarctos ornatus

South America’s only living bear.

The last short-faced bear lineage. Mostly vegetarian for a carnivore, and the only ursid south of Panama.

Vulnerable South America
Andean Spectacled Bear
Wikimedia Commons · source
300Typical male, lb
150Typical female, lb
5–6 ftStanding height
About 20 years.Wild lifespan

Range

Where they live

Andean cloud forest to páramo, from Venezuela to Bolivia.

ColombiaEcuadorPeruBoliviaVenezuela

Habitat

What they use

  • Cloud forest
  • Páramo
  • Dry forest pockets
  • High valleys

Figure — diet mix

What fills the year

Plants & fruit
90%
Animal matter
10%
  • Bromeliads
  • Fruit
  • Palm hearts
  • Occasional livestock or carrion

Conservation

Vulnerable

  • Only living member of Tremarctinae.
  • Face patterns can ID individuals.

Pressures

DeforestationAgricultural conversionRetaliatory killing

Map

Range sketch and cameras

Filled shapes are schematic core-range sketches for reading the atlas, not official occupancy layers.

Field notes

Worth remembering

  • No two spectacle patterns match.
  • They build tree platforms to feed and rest.