The spectacled bear's thick coat is usually either black or brown, rarely tinged with reddish. Males grow up to 30 percent larger than females, and weigh up to 340 pounds. Females rarely grow heavier than 180 pounds. Spectacled bears live in the Andes range and outlying mountain ranges, from western Venezuela south to Bolivia. A few have been reported from eastern Panama and extreme northern Argentina.
Spectacled bears live in a variety of mountain habitats.
Many live between 6,000 and 8,800 feet above sea level, although others inhabit lower elevations. Habitat varies from rainforest, cloud forest, and mossy, stunted elfin forest to thorny dry forest. They will also forage in grassland habitats adjacent to forest. Fruits and bromeliads are favored foods, but spectacled bears also eat berries, grasses, bulbs, cactus flowers, insects, and small animals such as rodents, rabbits, and birds. Near settlements, bears sometimes raid corn fields.