Photographed at Chester Zoo

The Andean bear of South America is also known as the spectacled bear for the rings of white or light fur around its eyes, which can look like eyeglasses (or spectacles) against the rest of the bear’s black or dark brown fur. These markings often extend down the chest, giving each bear a unique appearance and helping researchers identify each bear by its "mug shot". The markings also give the bear its scientific name: Tremarctos ornatus, or decorated bear.

As a midsize bear species, Andean bears are between four and six feet long, and stand two to three feet at the shoulder. Males are 30 to 50 percent larger than the females.

Although this bear is typically diurnal, very little is known about them in the wild, as they are shy and tend to avoid humans, making them hard to find for researchers to study! The bears are native to the Andean countries from Venezuela to Bolivia, living in forests, grasslands, and scrublands.

Andean bears are true arboreal bears, using their long, sharp front claws to climb and forage for food. They build leafy platforms in the trees, both in the wild and in zoos, which they may use to feed and sleep. Because of their tropical native climate, Andean bears do not hibernate and are active year-round. Their biggest threats come from humans, directly or indirectly.

Andean bears are mainly plant eaters, dining on fruit, bromeliads, and palms, and are the most vegetarian members of the bear family, aside from the bamboo-eating giant panda. Andean bears are the only bears known to eat bromeliads. Bears living in scrubland habitat are even known to eat cacti! Farmers sometimes blame Andean bears for killing livestock, but studies of the bears' droppings (scat) show that only around five percent of their diet is meat, usually rodents and insects. The bears are good swimmers, although they don't usually dine on fish.