Tayra

Tilcayo Cats original · Mustelids · Sources and editorial assessment · Originals retention rule

The tayra (Eira barbara) is a forest-dwelling member of the weasel family, Mustelidae, found from Mexico through Central America into South America. The Mammal Diversity Database places it in the subfamily Guloninae. Its scientific name dates to Linnaeus's 1758 description as Mustela barbara.

Appearance and behaviour

A long body, bushy tail and strong climbing claws give the tayra a distinctive outline. Its head is often paler than its dark body; colour varies, including the throat marking. Tayras move both through trees and on the ground. They are generally active by day or around dusk, and are often seen alone or in pairs. Their varied food includes fruit, small vertebrates, insects and honey.

Distribution

Records compiled by the Mammal Diversity Database extend south to northern Argentina and include Trinidad and Tobago. This broad range does not mean that tayras occupy every locality within it.

Names and geographic variation

Presley's 2000 account recognised seven subspecies. The Mammal Diversity Database's 2026 species record lists nine names; these represent divisions within one species, not nine different species.

A 2020 study examined 155 museum specimens. Skull measurements did not diagnose the traditional geographic groups: sex explained some size differences, whereas shape did not show the expected geographic separation. The study questions the subspecies arrangement; it does not establish that every aspect of genetic or geographic variation has been resolved.

The following name accounts explain their origins and historical use:

• Eira barbara barbara
• Eira barbara biologiae
• Eira barbara inserta
• Eira barbara madeirensis
• Eira barbara peruana
• Eira barbara poliocephala
• Eira barbara senex
• Eira barbara senilis
• Eira barbara sinuensis