Eira barbara
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The tayra (Eira barbara) is an omnivorous animal from the mustelid family, native to the Americas. It is the only species in the genus Eira. Tayras are also known as the tolomuco or perico ligero in Central America, motete in Honduras, irara in Brazil, san hol or viejo de monte in the Yucatan Peninsula, and high-woods dog (or historically chien bois) in Trinidad. The genus name Eira is derived from the indigenous name of the animal in Bolivia and Peru, while barbara means "strange" or "foreign".
Tayras are long, agile mustelids, similar in appearance to a large fisher or marten, but slightly more reminiscent of a sleeker, smaller wolverine. They range from 56 to 71 cm (22 to 28 in) in length, not including their 37- to 46-cm-long (15 to 18 in) bushy tail, and weigh 2.7 to 7.0 kg (6.0 to 15.4 lb). Males are larger and slightly more muscular than females. They have short, dark brown to black fur, which is relatively uniform in length and color across the body, limbs, and tail—except for a yellowish or orange "heart"-shaped spot on the chest. Each tayra's chest patch is unique in color, shape and size, and thus may be used by biologists, rescuers and other specialists... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 7 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 8 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 9 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 14 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 15 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tayra sighting in Tenorio Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 17 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Tayra in Tenorio Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, April, June and August–November, the lowest months. That is one of Tenorio Volcano National Park's wettest months, with about 420 mm of rain against 120 mm in April.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tayra sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Tayra sightings, Tenorio Volcano National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Itatiaia National Park (Brazil, about 30%), Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 10%).
Same order: Carnivora
The closest relatives of the Tayra that you can see in Tenorio Volcano National Park (order Carnivora, Carnivorans) are White-nosed Coati (about 50%) and Ocelot (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tayra is recorded against all the mammals logged in Tenorio Volcano National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
