NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Andean Bear
Tremarctos ornatus (F. G. Cuvier, 1825)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) photographed at the Curitiba Zoo. The only bear species native to South America, found in the Andean region from Venezuela to Bolivia. It has dense black fur and distinctive white or cream markings around the eyes, which vary among individuals. An omnivorous species, it feeds mainly on fruits, bromeliads, and small vertebrates.
Wilfredor · CC0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
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.
Wikipedia contributors, Spectacled bear; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:09:02.854551+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Tremarctos ornatus (F. G. Cuvier, 1825)
- Name authority
- (F. G. Cuvier, 1825)
- Common name
- Andean Bear
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Ursidae
- Genus
- Tremarctos
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderCarnivora Bowdich, 1821
- suborderCaniformia Kretzoi, 1938
- familyUrsidae G. Fischer von Waldheim, 1817
- genusTremarctos Gervais, 1855
- speciesTremarctos ornatus (F. G. Cuvier, 1825)
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Tremarctos lasallei Maria, 1924 Maria, 1924 | synonym |
| Ursus ornatus F. G. Cuvier, 1825 F. G. Cuvier, 1825 | synonym |
| Ursus nasutus Sclater, 1868 Sclater, 1868 | synonym |
| Tremarctos ornatus majori Thomas, 1902 Thomas, 1902 | synonym |
| Ursus frugilegus Tschudi, 1844 Tschudi, 1844 | synonym |
| Ursus ornatus thomasi Hornaday, 1911 Hornaday, 1911 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=621849 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5832V. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.