At sites of abundant food, as with fruiting trees, several bears can be seen feeding in close proximity with very little interaction between them. Only mothers with young have been seen traveling together so it is assumed spectacled bears lead solitary lives. Females reach sexual maturity between 4 and 7 years of age. Spectacled bears will mate during the months of April, May and June. A pair will stay together for a week or two, actually copulating several times.
Females bear a litter of one to three cubs, which become independent in one year.
A mother bear may carry her young on her back when they are still small. A mother and her cubs employ a number of specific vocalizations in communicating with each other. There are thought to be a few thousand left in the wild. Habitat destruction and hunting are the two biggest threats to the spectacled bear. Though the hunting of spectacled bears is illegal, it continues to be poached.