Life in the Clouds

In a northern stretch of the Andes, tectonic forces still active today coupled with powerful tropical downpours have carved sharp peaks and deep valleys, each one an isolated pocket of evolution that has given rise to 150 species of hummingbird. This is a world of snow-covered volcanoes bathed in glaring equatorial sun, and roaming their slopes is the only species of bear found in South America - the spectacled bear. High in the dense cloud forest lives the nocturnal olinguito, a fruit-eating relative of the raccoon. Olinguitos are so shy that they were only identified by scientists from the Smithsonian Institution in 2013 - it's a rare feat to set eyes on this mysterious creature.