Southern Tamandua

This Southern Tamandua was rescued from a private house in a small nearby town and permission was obtained to release it in the Cambyreta area of the Ibera Marshes.  We are fortunate that she is now at Reserva Don Luis as these mammals are quite rare around here.

She is a little like a Giant Anteater in that she eats ants and termites and has huge front claws and a long snout and tongue.  However the Tamandua is arboreal and is excellent at climbing trees.  Part of their diet consists of bees and honeycomb plus larvae and other insects which reside in trees.  They have a prehensile tail which is very strong and the typical markings of an anteater with predominantly cinammon coloured brush like fur and a blackish waistcoat with a marked V shape over the shoulders.

The length of the Tamandua is 60-80cm with the tail up to another 50cm.  They weigh around 5kg and have a long narrow tongue up to 40cm.

They look a bit clumsy on the ground and are more at home in the trees.  They have small eyes with poor eyesight, can hear quite well but have an excellent sense of smell.