Andean Bear
The spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), also known as the Andean bear, is a species of bear native to the Andes Mountains in northern and western South America. It is the only living species of bear native to South America, and the last remaining short-faced bear (subfamily Tremarctinae). Unlike other omnivorous bears, the diet of the spectacled bear is mostly herbivorous. The species is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN because of habitat loss. == Etymology == Tremarctos ornatus is commonly referred to in English as the "spectacled bear", a reference to the light colouring on its chest, neck and face, which may resemble spectacles in some individuals, or the "Andean bear" for its distribution along the Andes. The root trem comes from a Greek word meaning "hole"; arctos is the Greek word for "bear". Tremarctos is a reference to an unusual hole on the animal's humerus. Ornatus, Latin for "decorated", is a reference to the markings that give the bear its common English name. T. ornatus is locally known as jukumari (Aymara and Quechua), ukumaricode: que promoted to code: qu or ukukucode: que promoted to code: qu (Quechua); translating to "hole bear", the tan facial markings usually appear on the…
Podocarpus National Park
Zamora, Ecuador
+94 birds+7 mammals
Where the Andes fracture into a thousand misty valleys, Ecuador’s southern highlands harbour one of the continent’s most biodiverse protected […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAntisana National Park
Quijos, Ecuador
+141 birds+21 mammals
Where the Andes spine rises above 4,700 meters, volcanic peaks pierce perpetual cloud forests in Ecuador’s eastern cordillera. This sprawling […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCotopaxi National Park
Mulaló, Ecuador
+12 birds+7 mammals
Where volcanic ash meets montane forest, the landscape transforms across nearly 500 square kilometers of Ecuador’s most dramatic terrain. Cotopaxi […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLlanganates National Park
Tena, Ecuador
+12 birds+9 mammals
Where mist-shrouded páramo plateaus rise above impenetrable cloud forest, Ecuador’s Llanganates unfolds as a realm of profound isolation and vertical […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNatural Serranía de los Churumbelos National Park
Santa Rosa, Colombia
+145 birds+15 mammals
Where the Andes’ western cordillera surrenders to the Pacific watershed, a fortress of granite peaks and cloud-draped valleys rises across […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNatural Farallones de Cali National Park
Buenaventura, Colombia
+12 birds+26 mammals
Where the western cordillera plunges toward the Pacific, a landscape of dramatic escarpments and misty cloud forest unfolds across nearly […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNatural el Cocuy National Park
Güicán, Colombia
+139 birds+13 mammals
Where snow-capped peaks pierce the Colombian highlands at over 5,000 metres, a landscape of stark geological drama unfolds across nearly […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKPuracé National Natural Park
Puracé, Colombia
150+ birds+5 mammals
Where the Andes rear up in southwestern Colombia, volcanic peaks pierce clouds at over 4,700 metres, their flanks cloaked in […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKYanachaga–chemillén National Park
Palcazu, Peru
+141 birds+14 mammals
Where the eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes plunge into the Amazon basin, montane cloud forest clings to precipitous terrain […]
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