Tamandu (Noun)
Meaning
Small toothless anteater with prehensile tail and four-clawed forelimbs; of tropical South America and Central America.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The tamandu is often referred to as a lesser anteater, although it does not belong to the same genus as the silky anteater or giant anteater.
- The prehensile tail of the northern tamandu serves as an additional limb for grasping onto trees.
- Tamandus mexicanus, or the northern tamandu, is widely distributed throughout tropical Central America.
- Due to their unique adaptations, including their long, sticky tongues, tamandus are highly efficient at foraging for ants.
- Tamandus are solitary animals and have large home ranges, often overlapping those of other tamandus in the same general geographic area.