The tayra (''Eira barbara'') is an omnivorous animal from the weasel family, native to the Americas. It is the only species in the genus ''Eira''. Tayras are also known as the ''tolomuco'' or ''perico ligero'' in Central America, ''motete'' in Honduras, ''irara'' in Brazil, ''san hol'' or ''viejo de monte'' in the Yucatan Peninsula, and high-woods dog (or historically ''chien bois'') in Trinidad. The genus name ''Eira'' is derived from the indigenous name of the animal in Bolivia and Peru, while ''barbara'' means "strange" or "foreign".

Description

Tayras are long, slender animals with an appearance similar to that of weasels and

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s. They range from in length, not including a 37- to 46-cm-long (15 to 18 in) bushy tail, and weigh . Males are larger, and slightly more muscular, than females. They have short, dark brown to black fur which is relatively uniform across the body, limbs, and tail, except for a yellow or orange spot on the chest. The fur on the head and neck is much paler, typically tan or greyish in colour. Albino, white, or yellowish individuals are also known, and are not as rare among tayras as they are among other mustelids. The feet have toes of unequal length with tips that form a strongly curved line when held together. The claws are short and curved, but strong, being adapted for climbing and running rather than digging. The pads of the feet are hairless, but are surrounded by stiff sensory hairs. The head has small, rounded ears, long whiskers, and black eyes with a blue-green shine. Like most other mustelids, tayras possess anal scent glands, but these are not particularly large, and their secretion is not as pungent as in other species, and is not used in self defence. The species have a unique throat patch that can be used fo
individual identification.

Range and habitat

Tayras are found across most of South America east of the Andes, except for Uruguay, eastern Brazil, and all but the most northerly parts of Argentina. They are also found across the whole of Central America, in Mexico as far north as southern Veracruz, and on the island of Trinidad. They are generally found in only tropical and subtropical forests, although they may cross grasslands at night to move between forest patches, and they also inhabit cultivated plantations and croplands.

Subspecies

At least seven subspecies are currently recognised: *''E. b. barbara'' (northern Argentina, Paraguay, western

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

and central and southern Brazil) *''E. b. inserta'' (South

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

to central

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

) *''E. b. madeirensis'' (west Ecuador and northern Brazil) *''E. b. peruana'' (the eastern Andes in Peru and Bolivia) *''E. b. poliocephala'' (eastern Venezuela, Trinidad, the Guianas, and northeastern Brazil) *''E. b. senex'' (central Mexico to northern

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

) *''E. b. sinuensis'' (

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, western Venezuela, northern Ecuador, and Panama)

Behaviour and diet

Tayras are diurnal animals, although occasionally active during the evening or at night. The social behaviour of tayras is not well understood. Assumed solitary, they have been seen in larger groups, presumably of mother and her larger offspring. They are opportunistic omnivores, hunting rodents and other small mammals, as well as birds, lizards, other reptiles, and invertebrates, and climbing trees to get fruit and honey. They locate prey primarily by scent, having relatively poor eyesight, and actively chase it once located, rather than stalking or using ambush tactics. They are expert climbers, using their long tails for balance. On the ground or on large horizontal tree limbs, they use a bounding gallop when moving at high speeds. They can also leap from treetop to treetop when pursued. They generally avoid water, but are capable of swimming across rivers when necessary. They live in hollow trees, or

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s in the ground. Individual animals maintain relatively large home ranges, with areas up to having been recorded. They may travel at least in a single night. An interesting instance of

caching In computing, a cache ( ) is a hardware or software component that stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster; the data stored in a cache might be the result of an earlier computation or a copy of data stored elsewher ...

has been observed among tayras: a tayra will pick unripe green plantains, which are inedible, and leave them to ripen in a cache, coming back a few days later to consume the softened pulp.

Reproduction

Tayras breed year-round, with the females entering estrus several times each year for 3 to 20 days at a time.Poglayen-Neuwall, I.
Copulatory behavior, gestation and parturition of the tayra
" Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Zool. 7 (1974): 1-140. Unlike some other mustelids, tayras do not exhibit embryonic diapause, and gestation lasts from 63 to 67 days. The female gives birth to one to three young, which she cares for alone. The young are altricial, being born blind and with closed ears, but are already covered in a full coat of black fur; they weigh about at birth. Their eyes open at 35 to 47 days, and they leave the den shortly thereafter. They begin to take solid food around 70 days of age, and are fully weaned by 100 days. Hunting behaviour begins as early as three months, and the mother initially brings her young wounded or slow prey to practise on as they improve their killing technique. The young are fully grown around 6 months old, and leave their mother to establish their own territory by 10 months.

Conservation

Wild tayra populations are slowly shrinking, especially in Mexico, due to habitat destruction for agricultural purposes. The species is listed as being of least concern.

Gallery

File:Identified individuals of Eira barbara in the Peruvian Amazon.png, Identified individuals of ''E. barbara'' in the Peruvian Amazon File:Records of Eira barbara in the Peruvian Amazon. 1 of 2.png, Records of ''E. barbara'' in the Peruvian Amazon 1 of 2 File:Records of Eira barbara in the Peruvian Amazon. 2 of 2.png, Records of ''E. barbara'' in the Peruvian Amazon 2 of 2 File:Belize72.jpg, A tayra from above File:white-tayra1.jpg, A rare white tayra at Ipswich Museum, Ipswich,

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, England File:Eira barbara male 2.jpg, Eira barbara male, Pantanal Brazil