Southern Tamanduaミナミコアリクイ

Species Data

Classification

Pilosa / Myrmecophagidae Source

Distribution

The southern tamandua ranges from Venezuela through much of South America to northern Argentina, southern Brazil, and Uruguay, and also inhabits Trinidad. Source

Did You Know?

• It extends a long tongue from a narrow snout, no wider than a stick, to lap up ants and termites directly from their nest entrances. Source
• A strong prehensile tail anchors it in trees, where it may spend 13 to 64 percent of its day, but it is poorly adapted to fast ground movement and cannot gallop. Source
• Although solitary in the wild with home ranges averaging 100 to 375 hectares, southern tamanduas thrive in captivity when housed together in pairs. Source

FAQ

What do southern tamanduas eat?

They feed mainly on ants and termites in roughly equal proportions, occasionally supplementing their diet with bee larvae, and they generally avoid ant species that use strong chemical defenses. Source

Are southern tamanduas good climbers?

Yes, they are highly arboreal, spending a large portion of each day in trees and relying on a prehensile tail and strong claws to move and forage among branches. Source

Where are southern tamanduas found?

They range widely across South America, from Venezuela and the Guianas south through Brazil to northern Argentina, Uruguay, and Trinidad. Source