Tamandua

Tamanduas eat many kinds of ants as well as termites and bees. They tend to shy away from army ants and ponerine ants, both of which give nasty stings. When threatened, a tamandua may sit up on its hind legs and brandish its sharp curved claws.

The tamandua is easily separated from the giant anteater by its smaller size, its coloration, and the shape of its tail. Most tamanduas in southern South America are golden brown with a black vest covering the dorsum and venter, crossing the shoulders in a black band, but on some individuals the vest may be greatly reduced or even absent.

They have coarse tan or brown pelage, and in the northern tamandua (Tamandua mexicana) and in southern specimens of the southern tamandua (T. tetradactyla) black fur forms a “vest” (figure 15.8B). Tamanduas have a prehensile tail that aids in climbing.