Baby Tamandua Hitches a Ride at Staten Island Zoo
February 19, 2014
Staten Island Zoo in New York City shared with us the birth of a new Tamandua baby, born January 12. The male baby, MJ, was born to mother DJ and father EJ. He is doing well and is being raised by mom.
Tamandua are a kind of anteater found in Central and South America west of the Andes. They have partially prehensile tails and spend much of their time in trees. Solitary animals, they are generally active at night, foraging in trees for food, mainly ants and termites. They have long tongues that can extend up to 16 inches (40 cm), but have no teeth to chew; instead, they have a gizzards that grind up food.
Photo credit: Steve Yensel (1-8) / Staten Island Zoo
Both species of Tamandua, the Northern Tamandua and Southern Tamadua, are species of Least Concern on International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.
See more photos after the fold!