The Tamandua
The most common of Costa Rica’s three species of anteater, the tamandua tears open the nests of ants and termites using its strong forearms and remarkable claws. These talons are so large and sharp that it has to walk on the sides of its feet to avoid injuring its own palms. Once the targeted nest has been invaded, the tamandua jams its 16 inch long tongue into the ensuing melee, its little barbs and sticky saliva snagging as many of the unlucky insects as it can before their sharp bites and stings forces the animal to abandon the buffet. Being susceptible to the insects’ natural defenses means there isn’t enough time to completely destroy the colony, which can rebuild and replenish itself before the next unwelcome visit. The tamandua can actually sniff out over 50 nests and eat up to 9000 insects per day, but that impressively long snout doesn’t contain any teeth, so the victims are ground up in the gizzard with a little help from the dirt and pebbles that naturally come along with licking the ground. The tamandua’s prehensile tail helps it travel around in trees with ease, and if threatened, serves as a sort of kickstand as it props itself up and lashes out with its claws at the threat. And if that isn’t enough of a deterrent, it can release a pungently foul odor from a gland at the base of its tail, making this guy a master of the art of defense: both coming and going.
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