Plate 032 · climbing head-first down a trunk IdentificationFive marks on the plate
- 1Pale head and neck, greyish brown, contrasting with the body.
- 2Yellow patch on the throat.
- 3Small ears and rounded.
- 4Long black body with strong legs and curved claws.
- 5Long bushy tail, dark like the body.
Easily confused with JaguarundiHerpailurus yagouaroundiHead the same colour as the body and no throat patch. Lesser grisonGalictis cujaSmaller, grey above, with black face and legs and a white band across the forehead. 032 / 100 · MAMMALS · MUSTELIDAELEAST CONCERN Tayra
Eira barbara
Hurón mayor · Greyheaded tayra
The largest of Argentina's hurones: a black member of the weasel family with a pale head that climbs with a squirrel's agility. It is active by day and covers home ranges of nearly 900 ha. In Tucumán it is rare, with very few records, one of them at Horco Molle.
- Weight
- c. 2.7 – 7 kg
- Altitude
- c. 400 – 1,500 m
- Home range
- nearly 900 ha
- Activity
- daytime
- Climber
- Day-active
- Rare in Tucumán
- Omnivore
Altitude rangeIn the lower forest
Foothill and montane forest It needs continuous forest with large trees. Records in Tucumán are very few, so altitude limits are approximate.
FoodFruit, honey and prey
- Fruita large part of the diet
- Small mammalsrodents and opossums
- Birds and eggsfrom tree nests
- Honeyfrom bees and wasps
- Reptiles and insectsoccasional
It forages both on the ground and high in the trees. It has been recorded caching unripe fruit to eat later.
BehaviourAgile and diurnal
- Expert climber. It climbs up and down trunks head first and leaps between branches. It uses its tail for balance.
- Day-active. It is most active early in the morning and late in the afternoon.
- Solitary. Seen alone, in pairs or with young. It sleeps in hollow trunks or burrows under roots.
Where to look in Tucumán- Reserva Experimental Horco Molle
- Sierra de San Javier