Andean bears (Tremarctos ornatus), perhaps best known for their fictional representation in ”Paddington,” are tropical mammals endemic to the Andes Mountains from Bolivia to Venezuela. They are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, but some new insight into their feeding behavior could help protect them. Andean bears carefully select the best foraging locations and plants in order to maximize their nutritional intake. They also generally avoid going after livestock, a behabior that has gotten them into some trouble. The findings are described in a study published December 18 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.
Also called “spectacled bears” due to the distinctive white markings around their eyes, they are true arboreal bears that spend most of their time in trees. Andean bears are considered midsize bears, at between four and six feet long. They are quite shy and typically avoid humans, making them difficult for scientists to study in the wild. Habitat loss, climate change, and conflict with humans–particularly ranchers–are their primary threats. The bears can sometimes go after livestock, but studies have shown that the threat from the bears is not quite as serious as some perceive.
A family of flowering plants called bromeliads are a major part of their diet. These plants native to North and South America include the familiar pineapple, while others are smaller and less colorful like Puya raimondii. Scientists don’t know a great deal about the Andean bears’ foraging behavior and feeding preferences across their habitats. The bears live in a mixture of regions including grasslands and cloud forest.
“Andean bears have a broad diet, including more than 300 plants,” Nicholas Pilfold, a study co-author and conservation scientist with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, tells…
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