The northern tamandua (Tamandua mexicana) is widely distributed from Central America to northern South America and occupies habitats ranging from dry forests to humid forests, mangroves, and secondary forests. Its head-body length is 47–77 cm and it weighs 3–6 kg; it has a prehensile tail and is strongly arboreal. With a narrow snout and long tongue it feeds mainly on ants and termites, and is known to visit many nests in a single day. It is toothless and uses the long claws of its forelimbs to break open nests. It lives solitarily and is mainly nocturnal but is also active during the day, with an activity period of about eight hours. Breeding can occur year-round; gestation lasts 130–190 days and usually a single young is born, which rides on the mother’s back. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern, but hunting and persecution and capture for the pet trade are problems.