On the 27^th January 2017 Colchester Zoo welcomed two Southern Tamandua, a male named Oreo from Papiliorama and a female called Ruth from Frankfurt. This is a fantastic species which had previously been at Colchester Zoo so we are delighted to welcome Oreo and Ruth to our Worlds Apart Exhibit.

Ruth and Oreo are currently being housed separately at our Worlds Apart Exhibit whilst they settle in but it is hoped they will gradually be introduced to one another over the coming weeks.

See their arrival here: 

Tamanduas are arboreal anteaters meaning they spend a lot of their time in the trees; they have long, strong claws and a prehensile tail which allows them to hold onto branches when climbing. Their tongue can be extended up to 40cm from their month which they use for collecting ants and termites. Tamanduas are most active at night but you may be lucky enough to see our new arrivals as they explore their new home.

Tamanduas are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN red list.