🦡 Tayra (*Eira barbara*)
Tayra (Eira barbara) is one of the animal species documented at Yuyo in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica.
🔤 Name English / nombre español / Name Deutsch
Tayra / Tolomuco / Tayra (Hyrare)
🔬 Taxonomy & conservation
Family
Mustelidae — weasels & otters
IUCN status
LC — Least Concern
ⓘ What does this mean?
About the IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List assesses the global risk of extinction of species using criteria such as population size and trends, geographic range, and the degree of population decline. The category shown here describes conservation status — it does not indicate whether an animal is dangerous to humans.
EX Extinct · EW Extinct in the Wild · CR Critically Endangered · EN Endangered · VU Vulnerable · NT Near Threatened · LC Least Concern · DD Data Deficient · NE Not Evaluated
🌿 Habitat & Ecology
Local distribution & habitat
Found throughout Central America, including Costa Rica; generally occurs in tropical and subtropical forests and is also seen in cultivated areas, tree plantations, and farmlands.
GBIF occurrence evidence around Yuyo
Costa Rica: 744 GBIF records
Within 5 km: 1 record
Within 10 km: 8 records
Within 25 km: 22 records
Within 50 km: 35 records
Nearest GBIF record: 2.01 km away · human observation · coordinate uncertainty 20 m
Photo from Yuyo
Diet & ecological role
An opportunistic omnivore that eats rodents and other small mammals, birds, lizards and other reptiles, invertebrates, fruit, and honey.
Behavior
Primarily diurnal but sometimes active in the evening or at night. An expert climber, it locates prey mainly by scent and actively chases it. It can leap between treetops, swim across rivers when necessary, and cache unripe plantains until they ripen.
⚠️ Risk & safety
Risk Level
None
📍📈 Local frequency
occasional
📖✨ Stories
Stefan: Since December 2022, I have seen a tayra on the finca approximately six to ten times. In early September 2026, there was a noticeable cluster of sightings: three times within ten days. I was able to film one of these encounters with my smartphone, which resulted in an approximately 8-second Short. On another occasion, I returned after working on the property and surprised a tayra that hurriedly climbed down from a Governor’s Plum tree and then disappeared into the dense vegetation of the adjoining rainforest.
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