Southern tamandua

Southern tamandua
In defensive posture
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Pilosa
Family: Myrmecophagidae
Genus: Tamandua
Species:
T. tetradactyla
Binomial name
Tamandua tetradactyla
Southern tamandua range
Synonyms

Myrmecophaga tetradactyla Linnaeus, 1758

The southern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla), also called the collared anteater or lesser anteater, is a species of anteater from South America and the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. It is a solitary animal found in many habitats, from mature to highly disturbed secondary forests and arid savannas. It feeds on ants, termites, and bees. Its very strong foreclaws can be used to break insect nests or to defend itself.