What is the Tamandua?
This creature is more than just a cuter anteater.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Media Editors:
Michele Metych, Lauren Sims
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Transcript
Ta-man-du-a. Tamandua. Say it with us: tamandua.
Jennifer: They are a really cool, unique animal, their other name is the lesser anteater. There's actually four different kinds of anteaters, and northern and southern tamanduas are known to be a little bit different because they're arboreal, meaning they live in the trees.
They’re from Central and South America, and their name—“tamandua”—comes from the Tupi language of Brazil and means “ant catcher.”
Jennifer: They actually do eat ants, but they eat other things. They eat termites, and sometimes they'll eat pieces of fruit, but uniquely their mouth can only open about an inch. They don't have any teeth
Usually they're eating fruit that's starting to rot. They have a very long and sticky tongue. It's got small barbs on it. So they can reach that into a termite hole or into a piece of rotting fruit and bring some of that back into their mouth.
Jennifer: Not only do they have this 16-inch-long tongue, but they also always close their eyes when they eat. And they have a very dense fur. As they're sticking their face into a termite mound, they're protecting their eyes and their skin from ants that can bite. Another unique thing about them is they have very large front claws.
That helps them to rip open termite mounds or rip bark off of trees to find insects.
But they're so long that the tamandua can't even walk normally on their front feet. They have to turn them in and go sideways. Otherwise, they could actually puncture their own feet.
Tamanduas, not designed for walking, designed for eating ants and having fun.
Jennifer: Peterson, especially, he's a very active animal. He has lots of energy. He loves to smell new things. He actually is voluntarily trained to walk into a little crate, like you might have a dog crate. And then we walk him over to the new exhibit and let him out. And he is just having a blast. He loves it. He's checking everything out and just really engaged with smelling everything and tearing up the trees, and it's a really fun thing for him.