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Tayra Facts

Tayra Facts
Tayra is a member of the weasel family. There are nine subspecies of tayra that can be found in Central and South America and in Trinidad. Tayra prefers life in dense tropical rainforests and woodlands. Local people use tayra for the pest control because it hunts rodents. Unfortunately, it may also induce damage to the farms because it feeds on the sugar cane and hunts poultry. At the moment, number of tayra in the wild is stable and it is not listed as endangered species.
Interesting Tayra Facts:
Tayra can reach 24 to 28 inches in length and 6.6 to 13.2 pounds in weight. Its bushy tail is usually 14 to 18 inches long.
Tayra has long and slender body, sharp canine teeth and round ears located on the lower part of the head.
Body of tayra is covered in fur whose color depends on the habitat. It is usually dark brown in color, with dark muzzle and lighter colors of the face and chest.
Tayra has wrinkled face, which is the reason why it is also known as "Cabeza del Viejo" or "Old Man's Head" among the local people.
Tayra has very long and sharp claws that are used for climbing. Tayra is partially arboreal (lives on the trees) and partially terrestrial (lives on the ground) animal.
Tayra is very agile creature. It is able to walk and climb skillfully like a cat on the ground and to swim like a fish when it is in the water.
Tayra is mainly active during the night (nocturnal) and during the early morning hours when the visibility is low (cloudy mornings).
Tayra is an omnivore (it eats both plants and animals). It usually hunts small mammals (such as mice, squirrels, agoutis, tamarins…), reptiles, insects, invertebrates or eats honey and fruit.
Tayra is a solitary creature, but it may live in smaller groups.
Tayra is a vocal animal that uses different sounds for communication. Yowls, snarls and clicking noise are just some of the sounds used for communication in the group.
When threatened, tayra produces short, barking sound and runs toward the nearest tree where it hides from the predators in the treetops.
Main predators of tayra are dogs and humans.
Tayra lives in the nests made in hollow trees, underground burrows or in dense, tall grass.
Tayra mates once per year, but certain time has not been determined yet. When animals are ready to mate, they produce cat-like sounds. After pregnancy of nine weeks, female gives birth to usually 2 to 3 babies. Young tayras depend on the mother's milk for the first 2 to 3 months of their life.
Tayra can survive up to 18 years in captivity. Lifespan in the wild is unknown.


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