Mammals · Pilosa · Myrmecophagidae

Northern Tamandua

Tamandua mexicana

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The northern tamandua — known in Spanish as tamanduá mexicano, tamanduá norteño or oso hormiguero — is a hairy mammal of the family Myrmecophagidae, one of the two existing tamandua species. It inhabits the humid and dry forests of Mexico, Central America and Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, and a small part of Venezuela. It measures up to 65 cm and can weigh up to 8.5 kilos. It is arboreal and a digger. It has long claws and a prehensile tail. It feeds on insects, as all anteater species do. In Mexico it is considered to be in danger of extinction.

Weight

3.2 kg – 5.4 kg

Size

47 cm – 77 cm

Lifespan

9 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestTemperate forestInsectivore Variable activity Solitary Rainforest Temperate forest Mammal

12countries 46parks2same family

Fun facts

It can eat several thousand ants and termites a day, but visits each nest for only a few minutes: that way it does not exhaust the nest and avoids collecting too many bites from the soldiers.
It has not a single tooth: it grinds insects in a muscular gizzard with the help of swallowed grains of sand, just as birds do.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Rainforest, dry forest, mangroves and gallery forest of Central America and northern South America
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 5.4 months
Litter / clutch size: 1

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamandua_mexicana