Neotamandua borealis

Neotamandua borealis is an extinct species of anteater. Fossils were found in the Honda Group at the Konzentrat-Lagerstätte of La Venta, Colombia.[1] It was suggested to be an ancestor of the giant anteater, and is also related to the tamanduas.[1] The species was described by Hirschfeld in 1976.[2]

Neotamandua borealis
Temporal range: Mid Miocene (Laventan)
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Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Pilosa
Family: Myrmecophagidae
Genus: Neotamandua
Species:
N. borealis
Binomial name
Neotamandua borealis
Hirschfeld, 1976

Description

Neotamandua borealis foraged on social insects such as ants and termites.[3] It was both arboreal and terrestrial.[3] It weighed between 10 and 100 kilograms (22 and 220 lb).[3]

References

  1. Hirschfeld, S.E. (1976). "A New Fossil Anteater ( Edentata , Mammalia ) from Colombia , S . A . and Evolution of the Vermilingua". Journal of Paleontology. 50 (3). JSTOR 1303522. Archived from the original on 2013-01-03. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
  2. Neotamandua borealis at Fossilworks.org
  3. Kay, R.F. & Madden, R.H. (1997). "Mammals and rainfall: paleoecology of the middle Miocene at La Venta (Colombia, South America)" (PDF). Journal of Human Evolution. 32: 170–171. doi:10.1006/jhev.1996.0104. PMID 9061556. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
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