Northern Tamandua

Tamandua mexicana

Today's animal is the Northern Tamandua, a small Anteater that lives in Central America, as well as in some of the northern areas of South America.

Tropical forests are where these mammals call home, and they have bodies that are well adapted to tree climbing. They have tough footpads and a large central claw that helps them to maintain a good grip while climbing, along with a prehensile tail.

Climbing adaptations aren't the only physical features that stand out on the Northern Tamandua. Like all Anteaters, they have no teeth. Instead, they have a very long long that is coated in a sticky substance that is perfect for picking up insects in large quantities. Ants and Termites are their preferred bugs, and they can eat close to 10,000 in a single day!

Northern Tamanduas do their hunting at night, sniffing out prey with their noses. They are solitary animals, and only come together when it is time to breed. There is no specific mating seasons for these creatures, and females give birth year round.

IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Central and South America
Size : Length up to 50in (1.3m), Weight up to 12lbs (5.4kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Pilosa
Family : Myrmecophagidae -- Genus : Tamandua -- Species : T. mexicana
Image : Jacob Barnett

Comments

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km) from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status : Not Listed Location : Cent

Animal A Day!

Search This Blog