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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
tamandua, collared anteater, lesser anteater |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Xenarthra |
| FAMILY: |
Myrmecophagidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Tamandua tetradactyla |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Tapered head with a long, tubular mouth with an
opening only as wide as the diameter of a pencil,
from which the tongue is protruded; tan body with
black vest-like markings from shoulder to rump;
four clawed digits on the forefeet and five on
the hind feet; underside and end of prehensile
tail are hairless
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| SIZE: |
535-880 mm; plus an additional tail length of 400-590
mm |
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| DIET: |
Insects such as termites, ants, beetles, and insect
larvae |
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| GESTATION: |
130-150 days; one offspring per birth |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
2-3 years |
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| RANGE: |
South America from Venezuela and Trinidad to northern
Argentina, southern Brazil, and Uruguay |
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| HABITAT: |
Wet and dry forests, including tropical rainforest,
savanna, and thorn scrub |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Exact population counts are not known; however,
this species is considered uncommon in their native
habitat |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Deleted from the list in 1992 |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
The
tamandua is thought to nest during the day in hollow
tree trunks or in the burrows of other animals.
Research shows that this type of anteater spends
13-64% of its time in trees. In fact, they are very
clumsy on the ground unlike their cousin, the giant
anteater. To avoid puncturing their palms with their
sharp claws, they walk on the outsides of their
"hands." |
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| 2. |
They communicate when aggravated by hissing and
releasing an unpleasant scent from their anal gland. |
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| 3. |
At birth the young tamandua rides on its mother's
back and is sometimes deposited on a safe branch
while the mother forages. |
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| 4. |
If
threatened while residing in the trees, it grasps
a branch with its hind feet and tail, leaving its
arms and long, curved claws free for combat. If
on the ground, it backs up against a rock or tree
and wrestles the opponent with its powerful forearms. |
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| 5. |
Tamanduas
have small eyes and poor vision. Instead, they rely
more on their sense of smell and hearing. |
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| 6. |
They
are able to extract their prey by using their extremely
strong forearms to rip open nests. They lick up
insects with their elongated snouts and rounded
tongues. |
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| 7. |
Their
tongues can reach up to 40 cm in length! |
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These animals, though widespread, are uncommon.
Claiming that they kill their dogs, tamanduas are
often killed by hunters. They are also hunted for
the thick tendons in their tails, which are used
to make rope. Tamanduas are sometimes used by Amazonian
Indians to rid their homes of ants and termites.
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|
|
| Grzimek,
H.C. Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals. Vol.
2. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company.
1990. |
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|
Nowak, R. 1991. Walker's Mammals of the World
Vol 1. Johns Hopkins University Press. 5(1):522-3. |
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www.ioz.ac.uk
Dec. 8, 2000
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|
| www.geocities.com/rainforest/vines
Dec. 8, 2000 |
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| www.nature.ca
Dec. 8, 2000 |
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| www.phillyzoo.org
Dec. 8, 2000 |
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| www.santabarbarazoo.com
Dec. 8, 2000 |
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http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/tamandua/t._tetradactyla
$narrative.html |
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| www.unicover.com
Dec. 8, 2000 |
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