The Northern Tamandua (Tamandua mexicana) is a medium-sized anteater, which is found in Mexico and northern South America and which is famous due to its black so-called vest pattern and its prehensile tail. Being an arboreal and nocturnal species, it mainly consumes ants and termites; this is very important in regulating the number of insects in tropical forests. The Northern Tamandua is a perfectly harmless species with a strange look, but it cannot be kept as a pet in the United States according to the laws of wildlife.
It is anatomically fit to live in the trees. It has powerful curved claws and a long sticky tongue, which help it to remove insects easily in the nest. It has a prehensile tail that functions as its fifth limb and helps it to balance itself on the branches. Adults have a weight of 3-7 kilograms, with the male being a little larger. The species is more related to other Xenarthrans, such as sloths and armadillos, that have close evolutionary characteristics in their body designs and development of claws.