Neotamandua borealis

Neotamandua borealis Temporal range: Mid Miocene (Laventan) ~13.8–11.8 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Pilosa
Family:	Myrmecophagidae
Genus:	†Neotamandua
Species:	†N. borealis
Binomial name
†Neotamandua borealis Hirschfeld, 1976

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]

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): 419–432. 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 (2–3): 170–171. Bibcode:1997JHumE..32..161K. doi:10.1006/jhev.1996.0104. PMID 9061556. Retrieved 2012-07-23.^{[permanent dead link‍]}