Andean Bear Mother and Cub in their Den

Female Andean bears enter the childbearing age between four and seven years. During the breeding season, which generally corresponds to the peak of fruit-ripening, males and females meet and spend a week or two together. During this courtship period the couple plays games, engages in non-aggressive fights and frequently have intercourse which can be accompanied by loud sounds from both animals.
Gestation can last between 4 and 8.5 months. This big variation is due to a phenomenon called “delayed implantation”, in which the fertilized egg remains in the uterus for a variable period before being implanted in the uterine wall. This allows the bears to start gestation only when living conditions are favorable and food available in abundancy, in the worst case the bear can even reabsorb the embryo.
Females give birth to 1 or 2 cubs (rarely 3 or 4) generally in an isolated den, as the one depicted in the image.