No two spectacled bears have the same light markings on the face, allowing individuals to be easily identified from each other.
Spectacled bears have white, cream, beige, pale yellow, ginger, or tan markings on the face that create rings around the eyes and often extend down the chest, forming a bib-like patch of light fur.
These lighter markings are highly variable, unique to each individual, and may be absent altogether. Just as humans have different fingerprints, no two bears have the same patterns, allowing individuals to be easily identified from each other.
• Image | © Tambako The Jaguar, Some Rights Reserved, (CC BY-ND 2.0)
• Sources | (Fenner, 2012; Fernando del Moral; Kattan, et al., 2004; Macdonald, 2001; Naranjo & Hernández; Nowak, 1999; Servheen, Herrero, & Peyton, 1999; Wikimedia Foundation, 2018)
