SOUTHERN TAMANDUA Tamandua tetradactyla FAUNA PARAGUAY

Tamandua tetradactyla (Linnaeus 1758) Image Gallery
TAX: Class Mammalia; Subclass Theria; Infraclass Eutheria; Magnorder Xenarthra; Order Pilosa; Suborder Vermilingua; Family Myrmecophagidae; (Myers et al 2006, Möller-Krull et al 2007, Gardner 2007). Genus Tamandua was split from Linnaeus Myrmecophaga by Gray (1825). The species name tetradactyla is from the Greek meaning "four fingers", a distinguishing feature of the species when compared to the other living species. The variability in pelage colour in this species has led to a great number of invalid species and subspecific description based largely on the distribution of black on the body. Turner´s (1853) name Tamandua longicaudata, referred to the wholly yellowish variant lacking a black vest, whilst Myrmecophaga nigra (E. Geoffroy St.-Hilaire 1803) and T[amandua]. quichua (Lönnberg 1942) referred to wholly black variants. Gardner (2007) recognised four subspecies, that present in Paraguay being T.t.straminea (Cope 1889). Synonyms adapted from Gardner (2007):
Myrmecophaga tetradactyla Linnaeus 1758:35. Type locality “America meridionali”. Restricted to Pernambuco, Brazil by O.Thomas (1911).
Myrmecophaga myosura Pallas 1766:64. Type locality Brazil.
Myrmecophaga nigra É Geoffroy St.-Hilaire 1803:217. Type locality “La Guyane?” (=French Guiana according to Cabrera 1958).
Myrmecophaga bivittata Desmarest 1817:107. Type locality “Brésil”.
Uroleptes tetradactyla Wagler 1830:36. Name combination.
[Myrmecophaga] crispa Rüppell 1842:179. Type locality “Guiana”
Tamandua tetradactyla Gray 1843:91. Name combination.
M[yrmecophaga]. longicaudata JA Wagner 1844:211. Type locality “in dem Nördlichen Theil Sudamericas”. Restricted to “al interior de Surinam” by Cabrera (1958).
Uroleptes bivittatus Fitzinger 1860:395. Name combination.
Tamandua bivittata Gray 1865:384. Name combination.
Tamandua longicaudata Gray 1865:384. Name combination.
Tamandua brasiliensis Liais 1872:360. Type locality “Brasil”, restricted to Recifé, Pernambuco, Brazil by Gardner (2007).
Tamandua tamandua Jentink 1888:215. Name combination. Not Myrmecophaga tamandua G.Cuvier (1798).
Myrmecophaga bivittata straminea Cope 1889:132. Type localities “São João (Rio Grande do Sul) or at Chapada (Matto Grosso)” Wetzel (1975) restricted the type locality to Chapada, Matto Grosso, Brazil.
Tamandua tridactyla Matschie 1894:62. Name combination. Not Myrmecophaga tridactyla Linnaeus (1758).
[Tamandua] longicauda Trouessart 1898:1121. Incorrect spelling.
Tamandua tetradactyla chapadensis JA Allen 1904:392. Type locality “Chapada, Matto Grosso, Brazil”.
[Tamandua tetradactyla] straminea Trouessart 1905:803. Name combination.
[Tamandua tetradactyla] bivittata Osgood 1910:24. Name combination.
T[amandua]. straminea Osgood 1910:24. Name combination.
Tamandua longicauda Vesey-FitzGerald 1936:164. Incorrect spelling.
Tamandua longicauda Rode 1937:346. Incorrect spelling.
Tamandua tetradactyla kriegi Krumbiegel 1940:171. Type locality “Zanja Moroti” Concepción, Paraguay.
T[amandua]. kriegi Lönnberg 1942:42. Name combination.
T[amandua]. quichua Lönnberg 1942:43. Name combination.
Tamandua longicaudata mexianae Cabrera 1958:203. Nomen nudum.
ENG: Southern Tamandua (Gardner 2007), Tamandua, Tree Anteater, Collared Anteater (Parera 2002), Lesser Anteater (Nowak 1991).
ESP: Tamandúa (Villalba & Yanosky 2000), Tamandúa de collar, Hormiguero de collar, Brazo fuerte, Oso melero (Parera 2002), Oso hormiga (Emmons 1999), Oso colmenero (Emmons 1999).
GUA: Kaguare MA (Villalba & Yanosky 2000), Tamandua miri A (Villalba & Yanosky 2000), Tamandua P (Villalba & Yanosky 2000), Kuareminí Ac (Villalba & Yanosky 2000), Kaaguaré (Parera 2002).
DES: The robust head is of medium-length, somewhat conical with a steeply sloping forehead, tubular snout and tiny, circular mouth - equivalent in diameter to a pencil (Nowak 1991). The extensile tongue is some 40cm long and cylindrical, lubricated by sticky secretions from enormous submaxillary glands located on both sides of the neck. Part of the stomach is modified into a muscular gizzard to accommodate for the lack of teeth. The eye is small and the ears are rounded and of moderate size. The legs are short but muscular with four well-developed, viciously-hooked claws on the forefeet - the third being particularly long, causing the animal to walk on its wrists. The claws are proportionately shorter than those of Myrmecophaga tridactyla. The hindfoot has five somewhat elongated toes, which are an adaptation for gripping tree branches. The long, prehensile tail is moderately-furred at the base and naked towards the tip which has a gripping function. The tip of the tail is irregularly blotched with pinkish-yellow and brownish-black. The soft, short pelage is two-tone with the head, upper back, legs and furred part of the tail a creamy-yellow colour, though the tonality varies substantially and some individuals are almost orange-yellow in colour. A black "sleeveless jacket"forms a distinct V-shape on the dorsum of the animal and reaches to the rump, though the size is often variable. It acts to break up the outline of the animal when it is climbing in trees. The tip of the snout and area in front of the eyes is usually darker than the rest of the head, tinged grey-black. CR - Occipitonasal length 120mm. Slightly elongated rostrum with nasal bones shorter than the frontal bones. Palatte with posterior extension. (Díaz & Barquez 2002).DF: I0/0 C0/0 P 0/0 M 0/0 = 0. CN: 2n=54.
TRA: The forefoot leaves a distinctive print with a rounded sole and single, viciously-hooked claw on the anterior edge, with the point facing inwards. The hindfoot is elongated, almost twice as long as it is wide, and with five long toes. The tail is dragged when walking on the ground and in soft substrates leaves a distinct impression between the prints of the left and right side. FP: 7 x 5.2cm HP: 8.7 x 4.7cm PA: 21cm. Tamandua is excrement is distinctive, consisting of piles of discrete spheres composed almost entirely of termite remains. The presence of Tamanduas in an area is revealed by arboreal termite nests showing considerable damage left by the claws of the species. This species has a characteristically strong smell. (Villalba & Yanosky 2000).
MMT: The smaller of the two anteater species in Paraguay. TL: male 95.9cm (93-98.8cm), female 94.5cm (84-105cm), unsexed 100.2cm (90.5-130cm); HB: 61.5cm (52.2-88cm); Head male 13.75cm (13-5-14cm), female 13.77cm (12-16cm); TA: male 41.5cm, female 41.8cm (37.2-48.2cm), unsexed 43.5cm (37-59cm); FT: male 9.05cm (8.6-9.5cm), female 8.47cm (7.5-9cm), unsexed 9.1cm (5.7-10.5cm), EA: male 4.7cm (4-5-4.9cm), female 4.5 (4.2-5cm), unsexed 4.7cm (4-6cm); WT: male 4.88kg (4.02-5.74kg), female 3.61kg (2.54-4.63kg), unsexed 5.66kg (3.6-8.5kg). (Parera 2002, Neris et al 2002, Nowak 2001, Emmons 1999, Redford & Eisenberg 1992, Rodrigues & Marinho-Filho 2003).
SSP: Unmistakable on account of its size and colouration. Only Myrmecophaga tridactyla has the same basic shape, but it is blackish in colouration, much larger and longer-headed, has a voluminous bushy tail and is strictly terrestrial in behaviour. The footprint of Myrmecophaga shows traces of several large, hooked claws on the forefoot (the species walks on its knuckles) and a more rounded hindfoot with much shorter toes. The Myrmecophaga never leaves an impression of its tail, it being held well clear of he ground.
DIS: Distributed east of the Andes from Venezuela, through Amazonas and south through Bolivia and Paraguay to extreme northern Argentina and northern Uruguay. In Paraguay it is found throughout the country though there has been considerable local extinction in eastern Paraguay as a result of human activities. It appears to be most common in the Humid Chaco, Pantanal and cerrado belt of north-eastern Paraguay. (Neris et al 2002, Parera 2002). There are four subspecies. T.t.nigra (É.Geoffroy St-Hilaire 1803) occurs from eastern Colombia through Venezuela, Trinidad and the Guianas to the northern Amazon Basin and east-central Brazil; T.t.quichua O.Thomas 1927, is in the upper Amazon Basin of eastern Ecuador, Peru and Brazil; T.t.tetradactyla (Linnaeus 1758) is in the Atlantic lowlands and eastern highlands of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte to Rio Grande do Sul; T.t.straminea (Cope 1889)ranges from the southern Amazon Basin of Brazil, through to the southern and western limits of the species range in Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay and northern Uruguay.
HAB: As with the Giant Anteater this species is adaptable and occurs in a variety of habitats, though the presence of some tree cover is usually necessary. It can be found in both dry and humid forest, occurring in the dry Chaco forest, the humid Atlantic forest, the palm savannas of the Low Chaco and the semi-humid forest of the Pantanal. It is also present in the cerrado belt being most common in cerradón and campo sucio cerrado. In most areas it appears to be most common in dense vegetation and along waterways where its favoured prey species tend to congregate. (Emmons 1999).
ALI: Tamanduas feed almost exclusively on social insects, raiding their nests and exposing their contents by ripping them open with their hooked foreclaws. Being semi-arboreal, Tamanduas are equally able to exploit arboreal termitaria, wasp, bees and ants nests as well as ground colonies, taking the larvae, adults and eggs as well as honey, beeswax and other substances that the nest may contain - hence the Spanish name Oso melero (Honey Bear). Studies suggest that worker and reproductive castes are preferred to soldiers. Prey items become adhered to the sticky substance secreted onto the tongue by the extensive submaxillary glands and are licked up by the animal. Tamandua have poor eyesight and hearing but a well-developed sense of smell that helps them locate food sources (Parera 2002). Wild individuals typically consume a diet containing between 30-65% protein and 10-50% fat (Redford & Dorea 1984)
REP: There is surprisingly little data available for wild populations. Females give birth to a single young after a gestation period of 4 to 5 months, though twins are very occasionally reported (Jimeno 2003). Published gestation periods range from 130 to 190 days (Merritt 1975) with a mean of around 160 days (Redford & Eisenberg 1992). A captive female consumed the placenta of its new-born young (Jimeno 2003). Juveniles are carried on their mother´s back for several months and even up to a year during which the offspring learns certain aspects of survival - including location of food sources (Parera 2002) and may even adopt her dietary preferences (Redford & Eisenberg 1992). Juveniles may occasionally be left in a "nest" (Redford & Eisenberg 1992). A captive juvenile increased in weight by an average 13.5g per day in weight during its first 6 months of life and 6.86g during the second 6 months, a mean of 10.12g per day over the first year, representing an increase in weight of 3665g in the first 12 months (Jimeno 2003).
BEH: General Behaviour Solitary and nocturnal or diurnal in behaviour (more nocturnal where persecuted), activity periods last an average of 8 hours (Parera 2002). Though they are able climbers, using their prehensile tail as a fifth limb, they are just as comfortable on the ground, where they walk slowly but purposefully. However unlike Myrmecophaga tridactyla it seems they are not capable of galloping. Tamanduas take refuge in tree-holes, well-vegetated branches or in ground nests - using old burrows of other mammals which may be enlarged. Animals in the cerrado of Brazil were found to almost exclusively take refuge on the ground (presumably as a result of the scarcity of tree cavities), typically in armadillo burrows and often at the base of termite mounds (35.4% of cases). On one occasion an animal was found sleeping exposed on bare ground next to a termite mound and on another an adult spent three days in a burrow apparently without leaving in the interim. Individuals taking refuge in armadillo burrows are often clearly visible to predators. (Rodrigues & Marinho-Filho 2003). In humid forest areas they are frequently accompanied by clouds of flies and regularly rub the eyes with their front legs. The average territory size is around 350-400ha (Parera 2002). A captive individual lived for 9 years and 6 months (Jones 1982). Defensive Behaviour When threatened Tamanduas rear up on their hind legs with the forelegs held out before them. If in a tree they balance by gripping the branch with the tail and hind legs. If on land they lean the back against a tree-trunk or rock for extra support. They make swift "hooking" motions with the forelegs, the hooked claws that they bear acting as potentially lethal weapons. Enemies Tamanduas have been included as prey items in the diet of Ocelot and Jaguar and juveniles are likely taken by foxes and small cats (Redford & Eisenberg 1992).
VOC: Noisy feeders, grunting sounds when consuming prey can be used to locate the species. Also look out for debris falling from the trees, at night its a tell-tale sign that a Tamandua is breaking open an arboreal termite mound. The same sound during the day can be attributed either to a diurnal Tamandua or to Brown Capuchins (Parera 2002, Emmons 1999).
HUM: Slow-moving and easily hunted, the Tamandua is figuring more and more on the menu for hunters and indigenous groups (Cartés 2007, Neris et al 2002).
CON: The Southern Tamandua is considered Lowest Risk, least concern by the IUCN, click here to see their latest assessment of the species. The species was removed from CITES Appendix II in June 1992. The species is widespread in Paraguay but local extinction has occurred in large areas of eastern Paraguay on account of human influences. It remains common in the Humid Chaco but is less so in the Dry Chaco.
Citable Reference: Smith P (2007) FAUNA Paraguay Online Handbook of Paraguayan Fauna Mammal Species Account 3 Tamandua tetradactyla.
Last Updated: 31 January 2009.
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