Tamandua tetradactyla (Linnaeus, 1758)

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Myrmecophagidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 88-90 : 89-90

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Southern Tamandua

Tamandua tetradactyla

French: Tamandua austral / German: Sidlicher Tamandua / Spanish: Oso melero meridional

Other common names: Golden Anteater

Taxonomy. Myrmecophaga tetradactyla Linnaeus, 1758 ,

“in America meridionali.” Restricted by O. Thomas in 1901 to Pernambuco State, Brazil .

J. A. Allen in 1904 made the first revision of the taxonomy of 71. tetradactyla . Subspecies nigra and quichua were described based on melanic individuals. Recent morphological study showed two distinct groups in Brazil separated by the Amazon and Madeira rivers. Nevertheless, a very recent genetic study revealed that specimen variation could indicate only local adaptations to distinct environments. Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

T:t.tetradactylaLinnaeus,1758—E&SEBrazil.

T.t.nigraE.GeoffroySaint-Hilaire,1803—EColombia,Venezuela,TrinidadI,TheGuianas,andNBrazilianAmazon.

T:t.quichuaThomas,1927—EEcuador,EPeru,andWBrazilianAmazon(AmazonasandAcrestates).

T. t. straminea Cope, 1889 — Bolivia, S Bra- zilian Amazon, Paraguay, N Argentina,

and N Uruguay.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 470-770 mm, tail 400-670 mm, ear 50-54 mm, hindfoot 80-120 mm; weight 3.5-8.4 kg. The medium-sized Southern Tamandua is not outwardly sexually dimorphic. Skull is 130 mm long, convexly curved, and toothless;it usually has three pairs of orbital foramina, whereas the Northern Tamandua (7. mexicana ) has four. Snout is moderately long, ends at mouth that is very close to muzzle, and has short gape. Whip-like 400mm tongue is composed of filiform papillae with very viscous saliva. Eyes are small. Rounded ears are not large but longer than those of the Northern Tamandua. Pelage is golden, brownish, or black, and black vest can be complete or partial on paler background. Body hairs are short and dense. Forelimbis well developed, with four digits and prominent claw of third digit that is twice as long as its own metacarpal bone. Pad of hand is composed of fibrous connective tissue that protects it against tips of claws during locomotion. Hindfeet are plantigrade, with five clawed digits. Base of prehensile tail has long hair, and its underside and its end are almost naked. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 54 or 56, FN = 104 and 106 (one specimen from south-eastern Brazil, but it could be from an undescribed species).

Habitat. Wide variety of habitats such as opened savannas, mangroves, grassland with scattered palm trees, closed canopies offig trees or palms, flooded areas, low and dry Chaco, and forests (gallery, transitional, and dense). Southern Tamanduas prefer forested areas probably because they provide the best places to feed and rest, but habitat use and selection are also related to providing thermal refuge.

Food and Feeding. Southern Tamanduas eat ants and termites on the ground and trees, located by scent. Prominent claw of third digit opens nests of ants and termites, and mobile tongue catches prey. Stomach contents of one Southern Tamandua from central Venezuela contained 69% ants, 22% worker termites, and 9% soldiers; another individual ate 77% worker termites, 18% soldiers, and 5% ants. Southern Tamanduas eat ant genera Camponotus, Solenopsis, Dolichoderus, Pseudomyrmex, Pheidole, Crematogaster, Aphaenogaster, Cephalotes, Nylanderia, Heteroponera, Brachymyrmex, Acromyrmex, Trachymyrmex, Pachycondyla, and Gnamptogenys and termite genera Nasutitermes, Armitermes, Cornitermes, and Velocitermes. Ants and termites are eaten as larvae, pupae, alates (flying adults), workers, and soldiers; alates have higher percentages of fat and caloric value. Termites eaten by wild Southern Tamanduas in Venezuela were 27% dry matter, 58% crude protein, and 15% fat and had 6 kcal/g. Attacks on prey nests are slight to severe but rarely destroy an entire colony. Feeding bouts are typically short and last one minute orless; if alates are abundant in a nest, feeding bouts are longer. Southern Tamanduas can feed on bees and honey. In captivity, lizards have been killed and eaten.

Breeding. Southern Tamanduas are solitary but come together to breed. Examination of genitalia is needed to determine sex. Conical penis is short, has small preputial orifice, and adjacent to anus; testicles are located internally in pelvic cavity. Uterus is simple, and there is a utero-vaginal canal instead of a real vagina. In captivity, courtship consists of licking ears, chasing, and attempting to mount and hug; all these behaviors

last from five minutes to more than an hour. Aggressive female-male behavior was noted at the beginning ofestrus. In the wild stated, mating occurred in a dorsal-ventral position in tree hollows or other cavities and lasted ¢.30 minutes. Both sexes reach sexual maturity at two years of age. Vulvar bleeding is observed three weeks before estrus, and estrouscycle is ¢.43-5 days. Gestation lasts 130-190 days (average 160 days). Females normally give birth to single young, but twins have been observed. Newborns weighted ¢.390 g. Maternal care is well developed. Lactation lasts ¢.6 months. Longevity can be 9-5 years.

Activity patterns. Southern Tamanduas are semi-arboreal, and their primary activity is foraging. They are active c.7 hours/day in the wild. Periods of activity vary among localities, being nocturnal, diurnal, or crepuscular and seemingly related to prey availability. Southern Tamanduas adjust their activity times in response to average daily temperature in the same way that Giant Anteaters ( Myrmecophaga tridactyla ) do. During periods of extreme temperature, Southern Tamanduas avoid activity and stay in sheltered areas such as forests. Resting sites in Venezuela were tree canopies and crowns of palm trees. In contrast, resting sites in the Cerrado biome of Brazil were mostly on the ground and in burrows of Six-banded Armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Southern Tamanduas are very mobile predators. For instance, a female traveled c.2 km in ¢.5 hours between feeding sites. Average daily movement was 3000 m/day in Venezuela and 1300 m/day in the Brazilian Pantanal. Home range averages 3-7 km? in Venezuela, c.1 km?in the Brazilian states of Tocantins and Goias, and 0-59 km? at Mato Grosso do Sul State; however, home ranges at Serra da Mesa, Goias, varied widely from 0-1 km? to 3-4 km?, Density was 0-34 ind/km? in the Brazilian Pantanal and varied in different habitats: 0-41 ind/km?®in forest, 0-39 ind/km? in cerrado, and 0-12 ind/km? on floodplains. Some intraspecific communication occurs among Southern Tamanduas despite their mostly solitary nature. They have strong odor that can be dispersed to their neighbors when moving to forage. During estrous, females emit low moans, probably to communicate receptivity to males. During an agonistic encounter in northern Brazil, Southern Tamanduas of unknown sex displayed bipedal attack postures using their forelimbs to fight, and then they fell on the ground and used all limbs to fight. Roars and howls were emitted during encounters, which lasted ¢.20 minutes.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Southern Tamandua is widely distributed and presumably has large overall population. Nevertheless, population trends and reproductive biology are poorly understood. In its southern distribution (Rio Grande do Sul), it is listed as vulnerable, and in Uruguay, it is threatened. Some local populations are declining probably because of habitat changes and loss, fires, poaching, road kills, and conflict with dogs. Humans eat the Southern Tamandua;it is currently on the list of the most hunted mammals of Caatinga biome in north-eastern Brazil. Parts of its body also are used in popular medicine to treat thrombosis and edemas in Brazil. In Paraguay, skins are sold by indigenous people. Guarani-Isoseno people of Bolivian Chaco kept tongues of Southern Tamanduas as good luck charms. They also are kept as pets.

Bibliography. Allen (1904), Alves et al. (2016), Araujo, R.S. et al. (2015), Araujo, T.G. (2013), Clozato (2014), Clozato et al. (2015), Desbiez & Medri (2010), Fallabrino & Castifieira (2006), Fontana et al. (2003), Gallo et al. (2017), Gardner (2005, 2008), Hay et al. (1994), Hayssen (2011b), Hossotani & Luna (2016), Kusuda et al. (2011), Lubin et al. (1977), Marques et al. (2002), Meritt (2008), Miranda, FR., Fallabrino et al. (2014), Miranda, G.H.B. et al. (2003), Montgomery (1985b, 1985¢c), Montgomery & Lubin (1977), Noss et al. (2008), Ohana (2011), Ohana et al. (2015), Oyarzun et al. (1996), Pereira et al. (2004), Pérez (2003), Pocock (1924), Redford (1994), Rodrigues & Marinho-Filho (2003), Rodrigues, Marinho-Filho & Dos Santos (2001), Rodrigues, Medri et al. (2008), Rossoni et al. (1981), Silveira (1968), Smith (1930), Superina, Miranda & Abba (2010), Superina, Miranda & Plese (2008), Thomas (1901a), Thompson et al. (2017), Trovati & Brito (2009), Wetzel (1982, 1985a).

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Plate 3 Species Accounts

Subspecies and Distribution. T:t.tetradactylaLinnaeus,1758—E&SEBrazil. T.t.nigraE.GeoffroySaint-Hilaire,1803—EColombia,Venezuela,TrinidadI,TheGuianas,andNBrazilianAmazon. T:t.quichuaThomas,1927—EEcuador,EPeru,andWBrazilianAmazon(AmazonasandAcrestates). T. t. straminea Cope, 1889 — Bolivia, S Bra- zilian Amazon, Paraguay, N Argentina, and N Uruguay.