Trivia question for Apr-28-2011

Carter wants one of these as a pet someday.  These guys are mainly nocturnal but is occasionally active during the day. It is thought to nest during the day in hollow tree trunks or in the burrows of other animals.

These animals are solitary. They may communicate when aggravated by hissing and releasing an unpleasant scent from the anal gland (which accounts for their nickname ‘stinker’). They spend much of their time foraging arboreally; a study in various habitats in Venezuela showed that they spends 13 to 64 percent of its time in trees. In fact, they are quite clumsy on the ground and ambles along, incapable of the gallop that its relative can achieve.

So here are Carter’s questions:  Tell us what this animal is and also what are the two main reasons hunters kill these guys in their homeland.  Also, tell us what it uses to defend itself.

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations to Pia from Costa Rico for getting the trivia answered correctly.  The furry little creature we featured is the Southern Tamandua.  The Southern Tamandua, Collared Anteater or Lesser Anteater is a species of anteater from South America. 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.

It’s primary form of defense is it’s strong fore-claws which it also uses to break insect nests.  It is also able to spray you with a foul smelling scent which will stay with you for a long time.  The two main reasons these guys are hunted by locals are that they claim that tamanduas kill dogs.  They are also killed for the thick tendons in their tails, from which rope is made.  Here is more on these small anteaters: Southern Tamandua

Thanks for playing along 😉