Andes HighlandsNo. 03 of 12Spectacled Bear
the explorer
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Juan Oso, son of the bear and the shepherdess
In the Andean hills, the story of Juan Oso has been told for generations. A young shepherdess was tending her sheep high on the mountain when a bear took her to live with him in his cave.
There a very special boy was born: he was part human and part bear, and his mother named him Juan Oso. The little one grew up stronger than anyone. With that enormous strength, one day he helped his mother leave the cave and return to the village, among people.
But Juan Oso was different from everyone, and in time he said goodbye to follow his own path and live his own adventures. This tale has hundreds of versions in Spanish and Quechuan languages, and it is still alive among Ecuadorian children. In Kichwa, the Andean bear is called ukumari or yana puma, depending on the region.
“He was part human and part bear, and the strongest of all.”
Told by: Andean oral tradition, told in Ecuador
Sources
- A. González y K. Rodríguez, Literatura infantil del Ecuador, una visión histórica, Educación y Biblioteca 110, 2000
- Paulo de Carvalho-Neto, Cuentos folklóricos del Ecuador: sierra y costa, Abya-Yala, 1994
1.2–2.2 m
long
Unique glasses
each bear has its own pattern
Mostly vegetarian
fruit and bromeliads
No hibernation
active all year round
Andes Highlands
It lives on the eastern and western slopes of the Andes, in cloud forests, shrubland and open páramo. It is solitary, active by day and an excellent climber.
Fun facts
- It is the only bear species native to South America.
- It is listed as vulnerable: protecting its forest protects it.
Andes Highlands · Amazon Rainforest