Bear Behavior
Andean bear behavior is
still not fully understood. They are such timid animals that
it is difficult to study them in the wild, and their behavior in
captivity may not necessarily be the same.
Andean bears living in
cloud forest habitats have a diet largely based on the bamboo-like
"suro". The bears eat the juicy stems of the plant by ripping
them open using
their claws and using the hind limbs to hold them in position.
In a
similar way, bears in the paramo feed mainly on the leaves
of frailejon plants. The bear eats the leaves in
the same way
as the suro, tearing them open and eating the soft centre.
The agile bears climb trees to access epiphytic
bromeliads and tree fruits. Bears
also dig holes in the ground to forage for beetles, worms and other
various insects as a source of
protein in their diet.
Andean
bears build platform structures high up in trees by pulling
down branches and lianas to form
a large flat area resilient enough to take the weight of a full-grown
bear. Probably the initial reason for making platforms was to
rest
during the day. Bears never sleep in the high platforms due to the
risks posed by high winds and other factors. The bears also
use the platforms for spying on cornfields and cow
fields. As explained in other sections, bears eat corn and
very occasionally
livestock. The bears do all they can, as usual, to avoid
human contact, so by watching from a platform they can make
sure the ‘coast is
clear’ and pick the moment of invasion or attack.
This
contradicts the ethologist school of thought that animals only act upon
instinct, and do not think coherently.
Andean bears are solitary
animals, rarely coming into
contact with other bears. However, they do interact with each
other to
a certain extent and seem to leave messages for other bears. Bears
leave
messages on the trees of the Cedrillo genus. They do this by
rubbing
their backs against the tree trunks, leaving scratch marks, and
urinating or leaving a hormonal secretion around the scratched area.
Having olfaction as their principal sense, other bears can detect these
signals from far away. One reason for leaving messages might be to pass on news to the
opposite sex of their presence in a certain part of the forest for
mating in the bears’ equivalent of a lonely hearts column.
Male bear, 2 metres tall, age 11 with spectacles, outgoing nature,
searching for female of the species for a good time in the trees...
Occasionally, when a
female is on heat, there may be a number of males
following her and perhaps even fighting for her attentions. It is not known
exactly how long bear cubs stay with the mother in the wild, but we
know it must be at least 14 months, as we have seen females with the
same cubs over 13 month intervals, with the cub having at least 1 month
of age at the time of the first sighting.
Andean bears are a
keystone species, playing a major role in maintaining the dynamics of
the cloud forest ecosystem they live in. The bears are known
to rip the bark off the trees of the Calypthyres species.
This causes the premature death and fall of the
trees, creating clearings in the forest, allowing light to get
through to the undergrowth, which permits smaller trees to
grow and therefore promotes new life in the forest. Andean bears are
very agile and often climb trees in search of bromeliads, other fruits
and or bees' nests for honey. In doing this, and jumping from
tree to tree, they may break branches which
again allows light to pass down to the undergrowth,
and so promotes new growth. By eating
fruits of the forest, the bears disperse seeds to other parts of the
forest in the form of faeces. This is another method by which
the Andean bear promotes natural regeneration of the cloud forest
ecosystem.
This role of the bear as
a keystone species in its ecosystem means that it is important that the
Andean bears are protected and supported with conservation initiatives
if the cloud forest itself if to be saved, along with all the other
wildlife it supports.
Andean
Bear Conservation Project: Bear Behavior
Behavior of the Andean or spectacled bear & the bears' role as
a keystone species
