The following is a Castilian translation of the first scientific description of the spectacled bear, made in 1825 by the famous French naturalist Georges Cuvier. He received a bear brought from Chile, probably carried up there by animal dealers, but had limited knowledge about this species, he thought the bear lived in the Andes of the country.
THE BEAR OF THE CORDILLERA OF CHILE
This species of bear is the first discovered in South America; None of the authors who have dealt with the natural history of various places in this part of the world speak of animals of this kind, and if at times have applied the name "Bear" is in error or to refer to something like bears true, and was called Bear crabier, mouse crabier, and anteater, ant itself. We have a new proof that the more you explore the Earth, the growing number of bear species because it is impossible at this point, do not consider Chile to bear as a species characteristic, which has its fixed character and is completely independent casual and temporary circumstances: the shapes and colors of your head can in no case be accidental.
This bear looks for his coat to the North American black bear and the bears of the Indians described earlier under the names of bears "jongleur" (jugglers), the bears of Malaysia and Tibet. Like them, his hair is smooth and shiny, black most of his body. The muzzle is brown dirt, two semicircles covering the eyes and born between these bodies from one point in common, brown, a pair of brown hairs are located under the cheekbones and cheeks, lower jaw, neck and chest up between the two former members are white. We also see on the side of neck gray hairs dirty significantly longer than the others. All these colors are produced by the hair soft, like wool, hidden under the former are entirely dark brown. The whiskers of the lips are black, but others also notice white hairs under his eyes. The animal's snout is short and strongly separated by a depression in the brain, remarkable for its capacity.
This bear was male, looked around the rest of your organization to bear in the Alps, among other things, the soles of the feet. Its size was about three and a half feet from the end of the nose to the back of the body, and shoulder height is about fifteen inches.
was brought to Europe in one of the ships of the King and was bought in Chile, and its origin is not in doubt; Unfortunately, the trip tired weakened the animal to the point that it was not possible to keep it, having tried cure in vain, but he was very young. If the animal had survived could study it and determine more precisely the nature of their distinctive characteristics. But what will happen to this species as with many others, once the species has been determined travelers can go get it and so will know its origin and quickly going to be very common that will complete your story. Va to spend for this species that has happened to the black bear of North America. Before Pallas taught how to distinguish these from other bears were poorly known, then it will be so noted and will have had much time to be better known, but bear in our regions and the Alps and the Pyrenees.
I will propose to register the new species in the catalogs methodical, under the name of ornatus, because of its two portions of circles that adorn his head.
June, 1825.
Source: Red Tremarctos.
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