Are there bears in chile

Spectacled Bears are primarily herbivores but are generally classed as omnivores. They mainly travel through forests collecting ripe fruit, berries, cacti and honey. During periods when ripe fruit is not available, they will also feed upon bamboo hearts, corn and epiphytes — plants that grow on other plants called bromeliads. Occasionally, they will supplement their diet with insects, rodents and birds. Spectacled Bears are nocturnal and are mainly active at night especially during the twilight hours.

During the day, they shelter in caves, under tree roots or on tree trunks. They are arboreal creatures and expert climbers and spend a great deal of time foraging in trees. Their survival is highly dependant on the ability to climb even the tallest trees of the Andes forests. Once the bears are up in the trees, they often build feeding platforms from broken branches.

The bears use these platforms to reach for more food. Spectacled Bears are not territorial, however, they do tend to isolate themselves from others in order to avoid competition.

If they do encounter other bear or even a human, these shy bears react in a docile but cautious manner. However, they will attack if they feel threatened or a mothers cubs are in danger, like other bears, mother bears are very protective of their young. Spectacled Bears are also solitary animals and are normally only seen together during the mating season. Because they are solitary animals, these bears are usually very silent creatures. It is only when they do encounter another bear that they can be very vocal.

Being a tropical species of bear, breeding takes place all year round but mainly April to June. Spectacled Bears reach maturity and begin to breed between the age of 4 and 7 years. They tend to live alone, only coming together for the mating season, which lasts from April to June. Andean bears are polyestrous, meaning they are have more than one period of fertility in a year.

As a result, they are capable of delayed implantation. This means female bears are able to push pause on embryo development until a time when food is abundant - usually between November and February. Despite their large size an adult can grow to around feet tall and weigh approximately pounds , the Andean bear is an excellent climber thanks to their long front legs. They climb to find food when there are slim pickings on the ground. They harvest fruit, berries, cacti and honey sadly, not marmalade.

They also have incredible patience — it has been reported bears will sit in a tree for days just waiting for fruit to ripen. When they need to, they will supplement their diet with meat — small rodents, birds and insects, making them the largest carnivores in South America. Unfortunately for the Andean bear , it faces a multitude of threats. The main threat to the species is the destruction and fragmentation of their habitat.

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