Today’s page looks at a bear that makes its home in the Andes mountains of South America.
THE Andean, or spectacled, bear is a small black bear with cream-colored facial markings around its eyes, giving it its name. No two Andean bears have exactly the same markings. Andeans live in the mountain forests of South America – in Venezuela, Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. They can most often be found in what is called the cloud forest. This is a lush, misty ecosystem of the Andes.
Andeans are relatively small compared to other bears, such as grizzlies, Kodiaks or black bears. Males weigh about 250 pounds and females about 150 pounds. They are nocturnal – meaning that they sleep during the day and are active at night. They don’t hibernate. They sleep in tree nests that they build or on ground beds. If you live in the forest, you’d better be good at climbing, and Andeans are excellent climbers, easily scaling trees and rock walls alike. They are also excellent swimmers.
Like other ursines – as members of the bear family are called – the Andean bear is an omnivore, meaning they eat meat and vegetation. Their diet consists of plants, such as bromeliads and hearts of palm, and small rodents and insects. They dig holes in search of beetles and worms. They do have a sweet tooth, and their favorite food is fruit. They have also developed a taste for sweet corn, which makes them a nuisance to farmers. For this reason, Andeans are usually shot on sight, although illegally.
The shy and gentle Andeans don’t attack humans. They are not natural-born killers and don’t actively hunt for prey in the forest. But when a lack of food in the forest forces them to look elsewhere, they have been known to attack livestock.
Andeans are relatively solitary, generally getting together only during mating season. They can sometimes be found in small groups feeding together, but with very little interaction between them.
Males leave “messages” for each other by rubbing their backs against tree trunks, scratching tree trunks, urinating or leaving hormonal secretions. These scented signals can be detected from miles away due to the bears’ keen sense of smell. These messages serve two purposes: to establish territorial boundaries, keeping other males out of the area, and to let females know where they are.
Female bears reach maturity at between 4 and 7 years of age. April to June is mating season. A mating pair will stay together for two weeks. A typical litter can have up to three cubs. Mama bear will carry her cubs on her back when they are very small. Mother and cubs also develop a language between them to communicate, but after a year, the youngsters are on their own.
The Andeans are important to the ecosystem of their forest home. They help clear the overgrowth of forest by ripping the bark off of trees, causing them to die and fall. This allows precious light to get to the undergrowth, allowing new trees and plants to grow. They eat fruit from the forest floor, scattering seeds in the process, as well as dispersing seeds through their droppings.
Due to an increasing loss of habitat, Andean bears are endangered. But you can see these South American natives at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Queens Zoo. The resident Andeans – Cisco and Spangles have a particular fondness for Calvin Klein’s Obsession perfume. Their keepers spray it on the trees for them. Guess it smells better than those hormonal secretions.
Visit http://www.queenszoo.com for more information and hours.
ELA 1c, 3c, 3d, 5a : Science 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d
Social Studies 3
Art Standard 2
New York Post Activities
USE the Internet or other
reference source to learn more about Andean bears and other ursines. List the similarities and
differences.
USE a globe or map to locate the South American home of the Andean bears.
DRAW a picture of an Andean bear. Remember, the markings are never the same.