Tamandua, an Apiacá word from a native Brazilian language, designates this animal. It literally means «ant trap» or «ant collector.» *Tetra*, a numerical term meaning «four,» and *daktylos*, meaning «fingers,» is a descriptive name referring to the four fingers on its forelimbs (Tirira, 2004).
Order: Pilosa | Family: Myrmecophagidae
Scientific name: Tamandua tetradactyla
Common names: Hormiguero de collar, Oso Mielero, Tamanduá
Conservation status: Least concern (LC)
Best season for tamandua: All year round
Description
The Southern Tamandua has golden-colored fur and a long prehensile tail. The forelimbs each have four fingers, while the hind limbs have five, with each finger sporting a claw. It has a long, downward-curved snout with a single opening as wide as a pencil’s diameter, from which the tongue protrudes. Its head is medium in length, robust, and somewhat conical. The snout is tubular, and the mouth is small and circular in shape. The eyes are small, and the ears are rounded and moderately sized. The legs are short but muscular, with hook-like claws.
Distribution
Previously, this species was found from the Guianas to northern Argentina, including Bolivia, Brazil (except for the northeastern region), Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela, and Uruguay (currently extinct in this country). Due to intense hunting in the 1960s, the species was locally extinct in some areas, and its current distribution is fragmented.
In Colombia, there is evidence of its presence in most departments of the Amazon and Orinoco regions: in the Tomo and Tuparro rivers of El Tuparro National Natural Park, in the Bita and Orinoco rivers, the middle Meta River, the Arauca River, and many rivers that flow into major rivers.
Habitat
It inhabits tropical rainforests near bodies of water (gallery forests) and montane rainforests (Miranda et al. 2014). It is distributed from sea level up to 2000 meters above sea level (Alberico et al. 2000).
*Source:https://bioweb.bio/faunaweb/mammaliaweb/FichaEspecie/Tamandua%20tetradactyla
