For the first time in "many years",
an anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) was recorded in the Ansenuza National Park, in Córdoba
, an area where it has always been present but for some time there have been no new records. Today it is considered a "vulnerable" species.
The discovery is part of a survey implemented jointly by the
National Parks Administration (APN
), Natura Argentina, the Ministry of Environment and Circular Economy of the province of Córdoba (MAyEC) and the Sanavirona Kasik Sacat Community with the objective of identifying and monitoring medium and large mammals from the Bañados del Río Dulce and Laguna Mar Chiquita, Ansenuza region.
The project also had a validation process based on Prior, Free and Informed Consultation with the community involved.
The specimen was captured by camera traps strategically installed in the western area of the Mar Chiquita Lagoon. "Its registration represents a significant milestone for collaborative efforts to preserve the delicate ecological balance of this large wetland, which acquires greater relevance even for being
a species classified as Vulnerable in the country
by the Argentine Society for the Study of Mammals (SAREM). )," they remarked from National Parks.
Excited by the discovery, Néstor Barzola, the Charaba (representative) of the Sanavirona Kasik Sacat Indigenous Community (Pueblo de Paz), declared: “This discovery is wonderful and represents a transcendental moment for our region, and now together with the work with Natura Argentina ", the APN and the MAyEC expect actions that help maintain the presence of this animal, to learn with the community and the region how to help protect it."
This emblematic animal is known for its role as a regulator of insect populations
and is characterized by its unmistakable appearance and its hard, long fur. It displays a mix of white, black and gray bristles, with a distinctive black stripe on the back. Its robust limbs, especially the front ones equipped with three strong claws, make it an expert hunter of ants and termites; while its sticky and extraordinarily long tongue can reach up to 60 centimeters outside its mouth.
The Regional Conservation Center Directorate of the APN celebrated this discovery and considered it to be very important,
since it has been "many years" since there has been a record of this species in the province
, even more so with images. The biologist Facundo Fernández, Director of the Regional, declared that “this type of research and development activities in science are actions that from this direction and from the National Conservation Directorate we have been promoting throughout the territory where the national parks are located.” .
The confirmation of this new species for the Ansenuza National Park adds to other unpublished records of great value for the protected area and the region, such as the tapetí, pajonal cat, scrub bear and mountain fox.
"The increase in these findings since 2022 shows the importance of the creation of protected areas for the protection of the natural resources of our country.
Having granted this wetland the highest category of protection, such as the figure of National Park, allowed a sustained institutional presence
of the APN to protect the integrity of many species that today have a safe scenario for their survival," they highlighted from Parks.