A female giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), known in Honduras as oso caballo and in the Miskito language as Winku Tara, has been captured once again by a camera trap in the forests of Warunta, this time with her offspring.
Warunta, located in the Honduran Moskitia within the department of Gracias a Dios, is a key biocultural region for Central America. It is currently in the process of being recognized as an Indigenous Anthropological Reserve, which will strengthen the protection of its forests under the leadership of local communities.
Video by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), through its Honduras and Guatemala programs, the Forest Conservation Institute (ICF), the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH), and independent researchers, with support from the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund (BLF). The gestation period of a giant anteater lasts about six months, and typically only one offspring is born per litter. The mother carries the young on her back until it becomes independent at around 8 to 9 months of age.
The giant anteater is distributed from northeastern Honduras to the Gran Chaco region in South America. In Central America, its presence has drastically declined, being rare in many areas and extinct in Belize, Guatemala, and some parts of Costa Rica. According to the IUCN Red List, it is classified as Vulnerable due to habitat loss, hunting, and roadkill.
The first record of this species in Warunta by the WCS team was in 2024, sparking great enthusiasm among local communities and monitoring teams. This new capture, now with offspring, suggests that these forests may be undergoing a recovery process.
This record is part of the collaborative biological monitoring conducted by WCS Honduras, WCS Guatemala, the Forest Conservation Institute (ICF), the National Autonomous University of Honduras (Valle de Sula), and independent researchers within the framework of the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund (BLF).