The Southern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) is distributed widely across South America and inhabits various forests and mangroves from lowlands up to elevations of 2,000 m. Body length is 47–80 cm, weight about 3.5–8.4 kg, and the tail is 40–60 cm with a hairless underside suitable for grasping. Its primary diet is ants and termites; it has a small mouth and licks prey with a long tongue. Sharp claws on the forelimbs are used for foraging and defense; when encountering a threat it may stand upright and adopt a star-shaped threat posture, and it can emit a strong odor from glands at the base of the tail. Mainly nocturnal and solitary, breeding occurs mostly in autumn, gestation lasts about 130–160 days, and typically a single young is born and raised. The IUCN classifies it as Least Concern.