Kid Territory: Critters: Famously Fragrant
His mouth is only as wide as the diameter of a pencil, but Tipu ’s tongue is 16 inches (41 centimeters) long, with tiny backward-facing spines. When he yawns, his tiny lips curl back, and his tongue sticks out in a curlicue!
Don’t worry—he won’t fall off this rail! Tipu shows Wild Animal Park visitors how his strong, prehensile tail gives him great balance.
Thick gloves protect this animal handler from Tipu's long, curved front claws.
San Diego Zoo name: Tipu
Species: southern tamandua (also known as collared tamandua or lesser anteater)
Location: San Diego Zoo's Children's Zoo
His story
A tamandua’s strange looks work to its advantage in the South American forest and scrub habitat. Tipu's strong legs and long claws allow him to dig for food and to move easily through the trees, and he can use his thick prehensile tail to grab onto tree branches.
Tipu uses his long, powerful nose to locate his favorite foods: termites and ants. (In fact, the word ‘tamandua’ means “ant catcher.”) At the San Diego Zoo, Tipu gets a diet made from ground up insectivore pellets, but often eats a snack of ants while he’s out on a walk. He searches for them by digging through every planter box (and muddy area) he can find. His keepers say that he can tell the different ant species apart by their smell, and he only likes to eat some of them!
Tipu's pasttimes
Walks are one of Tipu's favorite activities, exploring where other animals have left their scents. When he lived at the Wild Animal Park, he seemed to be especially fascinated by the scent-markings of the aardvark that lived in a nearby enclosure. (They’re not related, but they both eat termites, and they both have a strong body odor!)
Tipu likes to climb, too (especially palm trees), so while he’s on a walk or out in the Zoo meeting guests, keepers have to keep Tipu from getting too close to any trees. Otherwise, he just might grab onto a branch with those mighty forearms of his, and it would be tough to convince him to let go! In fact, Tipu is named for a tree found in Bolivia that a tamandua might climb.
Where you can see him
Tipu lives off exhibit in the Zoo's Children's Zoo. He is one of our animal ambassadors. He meets guests when his keepers take him for a walk or need him for an animal presentation for school groups or group events. Keep an eye (or a nose!) out for Tipu—or one of our other animal ambassadors—during these special animal presentations!
More
Animal Bytes: Tamandua
San Diego Zoo: Children's Zoo
Job Profiles: Taking Care of Animals
