Post by grrraaahhh on Jun 9, 2011 7:20:00 GMT -9
SPECTACLED BEAR
CARNIVORA;
URSIDAE;
Genus; TREMARCTOS Gervais, 1855
Length: 5-6 1/2 ft (1.5-2 m)
Tail: 2 3/4 - 4 ¾ in (7-12 cm)
Weight: 310-390 lbs (140-175 kg)
DISTRIBUTION
The single species, T. ornatus, is known to inhabit the mountainous regions of western Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and western Bolivia (Cabrera 1957). It also has been reported from eastern Panama and northern Argentina (Peyton 1986).
The SPECTACLED BEAR of ANDES BEAR (Tremarctos ornatus) is the sole living representative of the short-muzzled bears (subfamily Tremarctinae) which were widely common in the New World during the Ice Age. Its fur is thick, with medium-long hair and black to pale whitish-yellow bands running above the root of the nose and eyes (sometimes also the forehead), across the cheeks and throat, and to the chest. In is much less conspicuous on spectacled bears from Bolivia. The spectacled bear inhabits wooded areas at elevations between 1900 and 6400 ft (600 and 2000 m) in the western, eastern and Central Andes. It is solitary or lives in maternal families. It builds tree nests for resting and feeds on fruits, palm sprouts, and carcasses, and occasionally wild and domestic animals, such as cattle and lamas.
In Peru, where the spectacled bear reportedly continues to be hunted extensively, it is said to survive only in small isolated populations. The total population in Peru is estimated at 800 to 2000 animals, part of which lives in the Manu National Park. In Venezuela, the spectacled bear is considered rare. It is still common in Colombia, but is hunted there. Reportedly it survives in a relatively undisturbed environment only in Ecuador and Bolivia. However, it is considered an endangered species.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Head and body length is usually 1,200-1,800 mm, tail length is about 70 mm, and shoulder height is 700-800 mm. One male 1,740 mm in length weighed 140 kg. Peyton (1980) reported that a male 2,060 mm in total length weighed 175 kg. Grzimek (1975) gave the weight of females as 60-62 kg. The entire body is uniformly black or dark brown except for large circles or semicircles of white around the eyes and a white semicircle on the lower side of the neck, from which lines of white extend onto the chest. The common name is derived from the white around the eyes. The head and chest markings are variable, however, and may be completely lacking in some individuals.
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www.chaparri.org/images/gallery/large/bears/bear_p.jpg [/img]
DIET
The species once occupied habitats from coastal desert to high-elevation grassland, but human presence increasingly limits it to cloud forests at 3,300-8,900ft (1,000-2,700m). Mainly vegetarian, its massive jaw muscles and cheek teeth grind the toughest plants. Low-growing plants, for example, are simply torn up and chewed, despite cactus spines or leaf barbs on puya bromeliads. A common tree-feeding technique is to edge along a branch, bending other branches to bring fruits within reach. Spectacled bears may also create a simple tree platform, 16ft (5m) or snore across, for feeding and resting. In addition, this bear climbs large cacti to get the fruits at the top, tears into the green stalks of young palms to eat the unopened inner leaves, and strips bark off trees to feed on the cortex. The diet also includes bamboo hearts, corn, rodents, and insects. Only about 4 percent of the food was found to be animal matter (Peyton 1980).
CROPS AND CONFLICT
The diet of the spectacled bear, one of the most herbivorous of bears, includes a huge range of fruits, as well as bromeliads, bulbs of wild orchids and similar flowers, pair shoots and leaf stalks, and, in drier areas, grass stems and cacti. Animal foods include insects, birds, eggs small mammals, and carrion. Raids on crops, especially corn, and occasional attacks provoke revenge killings by farmers.
MATING
Most of the mating occur from April to June, but may happen at almost any time so that the birth corresponds with greatest food availability. The pair stays together for 1-2 weeks. The cubs' eyes open at 42 days and they may leave the den. in a hollow among rocks or tree roots, by 3 months. The cubs stay with the mother for 2 years, learning about feeding methods, food types, and threats. As with other bears, the male plays no part in rearing the cubs and, if he encounters them by chance, may attack and kill them.
THREATS & CONSERVATION
Mittermeier et al. (1977) reported that the meat of Tremarctos is highly esteemed in northern Peru and that this bear also is killed by people for its skin and fat. Servheen (1989) wrote that the body parts of bears are commonly used for alleged medicinal purposes in South America and that legal protection is ineffective. Grimwood (1969) warned that Tremarctos had become rare and endangered in Peru through intensive hunting by sportsmen and landowners, who consider it to be a predator of domestic livestock. Mondolfi (1989) regarded it as endangered and still declining in Venezuela, with remnant populations subject to hunting and habitat disruption even in national parks. Peyton (1980) did not believe Tremarctos to be in immediate danger of extinction because it is adapted to a diversity of habitats, some of which are largely inaccessible to people. He did note, however, that some bears become habituated to raiding cornfields and that these animals are frequently shot. Later, Peyton (1986) noted that vast parts of the original range have been replaced by agriculture and that surviving bear populations are fragmentary. Thorn-back and Jenkins (1982) stated that the spectacled bear is declining through much of its range because of habitat loss due to settlement, to human persecution that subsequently results from raids on crops and livestock, and to hunting for its meat and skin. Tremarctos is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN.
Note: This profile is preliminary (references not cited) and is subject to updates.
CARNIVORA;
URSIDAE;
Genus; TREMARCTOS Gervais, 1855
Length: 5-6 1/2 ft (1.5-2 m)
Tail: 2 3/4 - 4 ¾ in (7-12 cm)
Weight: 310-390 lbs (140-175 kg)
DISTRIBUTION
The single species, T. ornatus, is known to inhabit the mountainous regions of western Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and western Bolivia (Cabrera 1957). It also has been reported from eastern Panama and northern Argentina (Peyton 1986).
The SPECTACLED BEAR of ANDES BEAR (Tremarctos ornatus) is the sole living representative of the short-muzzled bears (subfamily Tremarctinae) which were widely common in the New World during the Ice Age. Its fur is thick, with medium-long hair and black to pale whitish-yellow bands running above the root of the nose and eyes (sometimes also the forehead), across the cheeks and throat, and to the chest. In is much less conspicuous on spectacled bears from Bolivia. The spectacled bear inhabits wooded areas at elevations between 1900 and 6400 ft (600 and 2000 m) in the western, eastern and Central Andes. It is solitary or lives in maternal families. It builds tree nests for resting and feeds on fruits, palm sprouts, and carcasses, and occasionally wild and domestic animals, such as cattle and lamas.
In Peru, where the spectacled bear reportedly continues to be hunted extensively, it is said to survive only in small isolated populations. The total population in Peru is estimated at 800 to 2000 animals, part of which lives in the Manu National Park. In Venezuela, the spectacled bear is considered rare. It is still common in Colombia, but is hunted there. Reportedly it survives in a relatively undisturbed environment only in Ecuador and Bolivia. However, it is considered an endangered species.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Head and body length is usually 1,200-1,800 mm, tail length is about 70 mm, and shoulder height is 700-800 mm. One male 1,740 mm in length weighed 140 kg. Peyton (1980) reported that a male 2,060 mm in total length weighed 175 kg. Grzimek (1975) gave the weight of females as 60-62 kg. The entire body is uniformly black or dark brown except for large circles or semicircles of white around the eyes and a white semicircle on the lower side of the neck, from which lines of white extend onto the chest. The common name is derived from the white around the eyes. The head and chest markings are variable, however, and may be completely lacking in some individuals.
DIET
The species once occupied habitats from coastal desert to high-elevation grassland, but human presence increasingly limits it to cloud forests at 3,300-8,900ft (1,000-2,700m). Mainly vegetarian, its massive jaw muscles and cheek teeth grind the toughest plants. Low-growing plants, for example, are simply torn up and chewed, despite cactus spines or leaf barbs on puya bromeliads. A common tree-feeding technique is to edge along a branch, bending other branches to bring fruits within reach. Spectacled bears may also create a simple tree platform, 16ft (5m) or snore across, for feeding and resting. In addition, this bear climbs large cacti to get the fruits at the top, tears into the green stalks of young palms to eat the unopened inner leaves, and strips bark off trees to feed on the cortex. The diet also includes bamboo hearts, corn, rodents, and insects. Only about 4 percent of the food was found to be animal matter (Peyton 1980).
CROPS AND CONFLICT
The diet of the spectacled bear, one of the most herbivorous of bears, includes a huge range of fruits, as well as bromeliads, bulbs of wild orchids and similar flowers, pair shoots and leaf stalks, and, in drier areas, grass stems and cacti. Animal foods include insects, birds, eggs small mammals, and carrion. Raids on crops, especially corn, and occasional attacks provoke revenge killings by farmers.
MATING
Most of the mating occur from April to June, but may happen at almost any time so that the birth corresponds with greatest food availability. The pair stays together for 1-2 weeks. The cubs' eyes open at 42 days and they may leave the den. in a hollow among rocks or tree roots, by 3 months. The cubs stay with the mother for 2 years, learning about feeding methods, food types, and threats. As with other bears, the male plays no part in rearing the cubs and, if he encounters them by chance, may attack and kill them.
THREATS & CONSERVATION
Mittermeier et al. (1977) reported that the meat of Tremarctos is highly esteemed in northern Peru and that this bear also is killed by people for its skin and fat. Servheen (1989) wrote that the body parts of bears are commonly used for alleged medicinal purposes in South America and that legal protection is ineffective. Grimwood (1969) warned that Tremarctos had become rare and endangered in Peru through intensive hunting by sportsmen and landowners, who consider it to be a predator of domestic livestock. Mondolfi (1989) regarded it as endangered and still declining in Venezuela, with remnant populations subject to hunting and habitat disruption even in national parks. Peyton (1980) did not believe Tremarctos to be in immediate danger of extinction because it is adapted to a diversity of habitats, some of which are largely inaccessible to people. He did note, however, that some bears become habituated to raiding cornfields and that these animals are frequently shot. Later, Peyton (1986) noted that vast parts of the original range have been replaced by agriculture and that surviving bear populations are fragmentary. Thorn-back and Jenkins (1982) stated that the spectacled bear is declining through much of its range because of habitat loss due to settlement, to human persecution that subsequently results from raids on crops and livestock, and to hunting for its meat and skin. Tremarctos is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN.
Note: This profile is preliminary (references not cited) and is subject to updates.
