Northern Tamandua
Encyclopedia
The northern tamandua is a species of tamandua
, a small anteater
in the family Myrmecophagidae
. They live in tropical and subtropical forests from southern Mexico, through Central America, and to the edge of the northern Andes
.
in shape. The presence of this colouration pattern makes it possible to distinguish these species from its southern relative
, which has a more uniform colour. The tail has fur on its upper surface for about a third of its length, but is otherwise hairless. The hind feet have five toes, while the fore feet have only four.
Males and females are similar in size and colour, and range from 102 to 130 cm (40.2 to 51.2 ) in total length, including the 40 to 68 cm (15.7 to 26.8 ) tail. Adults weigh between 3.2 to 5.4 kg (7.1 to 11.9 ).
Like other anteaters, the northern tamandua is highly adapted to its unusual diet. The tongue is long, extensible, and covered in sticky saliva
able to pick up ants and termites. It has unusually well developed muscles, attached to a large hyoid bone
and rooted to the top of the sternum
. The entire oral cavity is modified to accommodate this tongue, and is so elongated that the back of the soft palate
is level with the fifth cervical vertebra near the base of the neck, rather than at the top of the pharynx
as in most other mammals. The jaw muscles and mandible
are reduced, and the latter is particularly fragile. Like other anteaters, the northern tamandua has no teeth.
In addition to its diet, and unlike the giant anteater
, the northern tamandua is also adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. The muscles of the toes and the presence of a tough pad on the palms makes the forefeet prehensile, enabling them to grip onto projections as it climbs. The middle toe of the forefeet also bears an unusually large claw, and the toe has enough muscle and leverage to allow it to rip open wood to get at the ants within.
, through Central America to western Colombia
, Venezuela
, and Ecuador
, and the northwestern corner of Peru
. It has been reported from various types of forest within this region, including evergreen, deciduous, mangrove
swamps, cloud forest
s, and secondary forest
. Four subspecies are currently recognised:
s and harpy eagles.
Northern tamanduas subsist almost entirely on a diet of ant
s and termite
s, although they have also been observed to eat small quantities of fruit. They prefer relatively large insects, over 4 millimetre (0.15748031496063 in) in length, and including Camponotus, Azteca
, Crematogaster
, and Nasutitermes
, among others. They may eat up to 9,000 insects per day, from fifty to eighty different nests, which they locate by scent and then dig into with their powerful claws. They extract the ants with their long, narrow, and sticky tongue, but seem to do little permanent damage to the nests, perhaps because they do not spend long at each one before being driven away by the insects' natural defences.
The anteaters can communicate with each other by leaving scent marks with their anal scent gland
s, but although infants can be quite vocal, adults rarely make any sounds. If provoked, they can prop themselves up on their hind legs and tail using a tree or rock for support, and lash out with their claws.
Tamandua
Tamandua is a genus of anteaters. It has two members: the Southern Tamandua and the Northern Tamandua . They live in forests and grasslands, are semi-arboreal, and possess partially prehensile tails. They mainly eat ants and termites, but they occasionally eat bees, beetles, and insect larvae...
, a small anteater
Anteater
Anteaters, also known as antbear, are the four mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua commonly known for eating ants and termites. Together with the sloths, they compose the order Pilosa...
in the family Myrmecophagidae
Myrmecophagidae
Myrmecophagidae is a family of anteaters, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek words for 'ant' and 'eat' . Myrmecophagids are native to Central and South America, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. There are 2 genera and 3 species in the family, consisting of the Giant Anteater,...
. They live in tropical and subtropical forests from southern Mexico, through Central America, and to the edge of the northern Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
.
Description
The northern tamandua is a medium-sized anteater with a prehensile tail, small eyes and ears, and a long snout. The fur is pale yellow over most of the body, with a distinctive patch of black fur over the flanks, back, and shoulders, that somewhat resembles a vestVest
A vest is a garment covering the upper body. The term has different meanings around the world:Waistcoat :. This is called a waistcoat in the UK and many Commonwealth countries, or a vest in the US and Canada. It is often worn as part of formal attire, or as the third piece of a lounge...
in shape. The presence of this colouration pattern makes it possible to distinguish these species from its southern relative
Southern Tamandua
The southern tamandua, also called a collared anteater, or lesser anteater , is a species of anteater from South America. It is a solitary animal, found in many habitats from mature to highly disturbed secondary forests and arid savannas. It feeds on ants, termites and bees...
, which has a more uniform colour. The tail has fur on its upper surface for about a third of its length, but is otherwise hairless. The hind feet have five toes, while the fore feet have only four.
Males and females are similar in size and colour, and range from 102 to 130 cm (40.2 to 51.2 ) in total length, including the 40 to 68 cm (15.7 to 26.8 ) tail. Adults weigh between 3.2 to 5.4 kg (7.1 to 11.9 ).
Like other anteaters, the northern tamandua is highly adapted to its unusual diet. The tongue is long, extensible, and covered in sticky saliva
Saliva
Saliva , referred to in various contexts as spit, spittle, drivel, drool, or slobber, is the watery substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is a component of oral fluid. In mammals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the three pairs of major salivary glands,...
able to pick up ants and termites. It has unusually well developed muscles, attached to a large hyoid bone
Hyoid bone
The hyoid bone is a horseshoe-shaped bone situated in the anterior midline of the neck between the chin and the thyroid cartilage. At rest, it lies at the level of the base of the mandible in the front and the third cervical vertebra behind.Unlike other bones, the hyoid is only distantly...
and rooted to the top of the sternum
Sternum
The sternum or breastbone is a long flat bony plate shaped like a capital "T" located anteriorly to the heart in the center of the thorax...
. The entire oral cavity is modified to accommodate this tongue, and is so elongated that the back of the soft palate
Soft palate
The soft palate is the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is distinguished from the hard palate at the front of the mouth in that it does not contain bone....
is level with the fifth cervical vertebra near the base of the neck, rather than at the top of the pharynx
Pharynx
The human pharynx is the part of the throat situated immediately posterior to the mouth and nasal cavity, and anterior to the esophagus and larynx. The human pharynx is conventionally divided into three sections: the nasopharynx , the oropharynx , and the laryngopharynx...
as in most other mammals. The jaw muscles and mandible
Mandible
The mandible pronunciation or inferior maxillary bone forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place...
are reduced, and the latter is particularly fragile. Like other anteaters, the northern tamandua has no teeth.
In addition to its diet, and unlike the giant anteater
Giant Anteater
The Giant Anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, is the largest species of anteater. It is the only species in the genus Myrmecophaga. It is found in Central and South America from Honduras to northern Argentina...
, the northern tamandua is also adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. The muscles of the toes and the presence of a tough pad on the palms makes the forefeet prehensile, enabling them to grip onto projections as it climbs. The middle toe of the forefeet also bears an unusually large claw, and the toe has enough muscle and leverage to allow it to rip open wood to get at the ants within.
Distribution and habitat
The northern tamandua inhabits forests from southern MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, through Central America to western Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, and the northwestern corner of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. It has been reported from various types of forest within this region, including evergreen, deciduous, mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
swamps, cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
s, and secondary forest
Secondary forest
A secondary forest is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a major disturbance such as fire, insect infestation, timber harvest or windthrow, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident...
. Four subspecies are currently recognised:
- Tamandua mexicana mexicana - Mexico, GuatemalaGuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, BelizeBelizeBelize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, HondurasHondurasHonduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, El SalvadorEl SalvadorEl Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America... - Tamandua mexicana instabilis - Venezuela, northern Colombia
- Tamandua mexicana opistholeuca - NicaraguaNicaraguaNicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, Costa RicaCosta RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, PanamaPanamaPanama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, most of Colombia - Tamandua mexicana punensis - Ecuador, Peru
Behaviour
The northern tamandua is mainly nocturnal, but is also often active during the day, and spends only around 40% of its time in the trees. They are active for about eight hours each day, spending the rest of the time sheltering in hollow trees. They are solitary animals, occupying home ranges of between 25 and 70 ha (61.8 and 173 ). Known predators include jaguarJaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
s and harpy eagles.
Northern tamanduas subsist almost entirely on a diet of ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s and termite
Termite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
s, although they have also been observed to eat small quantities of fruit. They prefer relatively large insects, over 4 millimetre (0.15748031496063 in) in length, and including Camponotus, Azteca
Azteca
Azteca may refer to:* Azteca , a Latin based rock band from the San Francisco Bay Area, United States* Azteca , a breed of horse* Azteca , a genus of ants* Azteca Records , a record label...
, Crematogaster
Crematogaster
Crematogaster is an ecologically diverse genus of ants found worldwide, which are characterised by a distinctive heart-shaped gaster , which gives one of their common names, Valentine Ant. It is the only genus of the tribus Crematogastrini. Most of species are arboreal...
, and Nasutitermes
Nasutitermes
Nasutitermes is a genus of termites. It consists of the following species:*Nasutitermes bikpelanus*Nasutitermes corniger*Nasutitermes ephratae*Nasutitermes exitiosus*Nasutitermes magnus*Nasutitermes matangensiformis...
, among others. They may eat up to 9,000 insects per day, from fifty to eighty different nests, which they locate by scent and then dig into with their powerful claws. They extract the ants with their long, narrow, and sticky tongue, but seem to do little permanent damage to the nests, perhaps because they do not spend long at each one before being driven away by the insects' natural defences.
The anteaters can communicate with each other by leaving scent marks with their anal scent gland
Scent gland
Scent glands are found in the genital area of most mammals and in various other parts of the body, such as the underarms of humans and the preorbital glands of deer and muskox. They produce a semi-viscous fluid which contains pheromones. These odor-messengers indicate information such as status,...
s, but although infants can be quite vocal, adults rarely make any sounds. If provoked, they can prop themselves up on their hind legs and tail using a tree or rock for support, and lash out with their claws.