The long snout and beady eyes bear a striking resemblance to the outer space Clangers, famed for eating only green soup and speak in whistles. Then again, the pointed nose and shaggy coat are also reminiscent of Wimbledon Common’s resident litter pickers.
For staff at ZSL London Zoo, tiny Paco is a already a star after making its debut this week, and displaying unusual family bond behaviour that has astonished keeper by hugging holder brother Poco for all its worth.
Remarkably, Poco was only born seven months ago but is already playing a baby-sitting role in the tamandua’s Rainforest Life home at the Regent’s Park zoo, providing helpful respite for their mother, Ria.
Such is the unusual sibling behaviour that keepers at the zoo are recording the information to pass on to other zoological organisations around the world.
“Not a lot is known about tamandua group dynamics in the wild, as the species are nocturnal and spend most of their lives high up in the tree canopy of their rainforest homes,” explains ZSL keeper Steve Goodwin, who discovered Poco bonding with the new baby immediately after the birth.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
“Tamanduas are usually seen as solitary animals, with the females carrying their offspring on their backs for the first three months of their life, so Poco’s close relationship with one-month-old Paco is definitely something we can all learn from.”
Deriving their name from the South American Tupi language for the “eater of ants”, tamanduas are adapted for life in the forest canopy, climbing with strong limbs armed with sharp claws and camouflaged against attacks by eagles. Their long, sticky tongues are the perfect tool for licking up arboreal ants and termites.
Vets have yet to scan the new baby to discover its sex, but, male or female, it will play a valuable role in the European breeding programme for the species.
The expanding family of mother tamandua Ria shows how the species breeds successfully in captivity.
“Ria must have fallen pregnant just weeks after giving birth to Poco,” added keeper Goodwin.
“We suspected Ria was pregnant again, so we were keeping a close eye on her.
“When I peered into their nestbox that morning I saw the whole family nestled together, with the newborn already snuggling into the soft fur on Poco’s back. He’s clearly taken his big brother duties very seriously, as they’ve been inseparable ever since.”