Mustelidae Spotlight: Tayra

This week, we have an interesting Musty to talk about. The Tayra [pronounced tie-rah] is a very unusual creature found primarily in the Americas. It is really the only Musty of its kind and does not have any cousins within its genus; although, there are a number of subspecies. It's just one big tayra family!

Tayras are very long and limber musties. I can actually imagine them eating their own tails twice over from how they can curl up into a perfect circle. They run about 28 inches in length from head to tail, and please understand that this tail is usually about 18 inches long--and quite bushy too! Long and flexible--what more could you want in a musty?!

Now... as you may remember from some of my other blogs, the great majority of these creatures are burrowers. I suppose that is how most people think of them as well. Weasels, stoats, and martens all love to dig underground and keep hidden until they are ready to go out and hunt. Where tayras do burrow now and then, that is not entirely what they are into. This creature actually loves to climb trees and sometimes even live in them.

The tayra has these fascinating short, curved claws which are not really all that great for digging. In reality, they are for climbing and running. Yes, you heard me. They are great runners! So... instead of being sneaky, these guys can actually chase their prey down--even if its straight up a tree!

A sort of comical thing about these guys is that they have a very wrinkly face. South American natives often refer to the tayra as a "cabeza del viejo" which literally translates into "old man head." Poor little guys! I actually don't think its that bad. How do you feel about it?

Tayras don't really exist in fiction. Hey, it happens. Sometimes, we just need to help the little guys out. I actually really like these musties, and despite them being hardcore predators, I do not see them as being ill-tempered as most musties tend to be. Tayras are actually very friendly when domesticated. They are playful and active which is not always the case with creatures like this.

If I were to create characters based on the tayra, I would make them lighthearted rouges. They are agile, dexterous, swift-of-foot, and generally very friendly with their peers. I think this musty creates a nice contrast to all those many species that tend to be sneaky and depend upon stealth to capture their prey. Here is one who dances about--flexibly avoiding harm--and if he has to, he can chase someone down. I think it would be fun to see this guy in action!

The tayra may not be a well-known creature, but it is certainly not one to dismiss. I have found that there are a lot of animals out there that could do with a little help getting noticed. I suppose that is why I call this blog a spotlight.

Thank you for reading this blog. If you enjoyed it, you can comment below, or you can email me at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. Thanks!