Tamandua mexicana
Silhouette: Xavier A. Jenkins · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The northern tamandua (Tamandua mexicana) is a species of tamandua, an anteater in the family Myrmecophagidae. They live in tropical and subtropical forests from southern Mexico, through Central America, and to the edge of the northern Andes.
The northern tamandua is a medium-sized anteater with a prehensile tail, small eyes and ears, and a long snout. The fur is pale yellow over most of the body, with a distinctive patch of black fur over the flanks, back, and shoulders, that somewhat resembles a vest in shape. The tail has fur on its upper surface for about a third of its length, but is otherwise hairless. The hind feet have five toes, while the fore feet have only four.
Males and females are similar in size and colour, and range from 102 to 130 centimetres (40 to 51 in) in total length, including the 40 to 68 centimetres (16 to 27 in) tail. Adults weigh between 3.2 to 5.4 kilograms (7.1 to 11.9 lb).
The northern tamandua closely resembles its southern relative. In contrast to the northern tamandua, which always has a black-vested pattern, southern tamanduas are highly variable in appearance across their range. Some southern tamandua populations are entirely pale... Wikipedia →
Recording0:14
Mexico · 2025
© Luis Guillermo · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:10
Costa Rica · 2025
© Jazz (aka turtlehelper) · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Antwerp Zoo | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 3 | Parque Municipal Summit | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Audubon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Zoológico de San Juan de Aragón | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Zoológico Benito Juárez | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Jackson Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Krefelder Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Papiliorama | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | |
| 10 | El Nispero Zoo | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 11 | Kobe Animal Kingdom | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 12 | Texas State Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Aquatopia | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 14 | International Animal Rescue – Costa Rica | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
No species of the same family or order lives in Tikal National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Tamandua sighting in Tikal National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 11 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and March
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Tamandua in Tikal National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and October–November, the lowest months. Those are among Tikal National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in June.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Tamandua sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 22
Of the 22 parks where we can rate Northern Tamandua sightings, Tikal National Park ranks 6th at about 30%. The best odds are in Corcovado National Park (Costa Rica, about 60%), Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%) and Rincón de la Vieja National Park (Costa Rica, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Tamandua is recorded against all the mammals logged in Tikal National Park (14 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.
