Bizarre Rainforest Creature!

I'm Coyote Peterson. Do you know what this adorable little creature is? If not, stay tuned, because I'm about to tell ya. Ah! I think it's safe to say that we all love baby animals. Look at that. That is a baby toucan. And when the Brave Wilderness team and I recently visited the Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary in Domenical, Costa Rica, it didn't matter if they were soft and fuzzy or feathered and squawking. We simply couldn't get enough. This incredible sanctuary and its dedicated staff are helping animals almost every hour of the day, seven days a week, and no matter what the species. One of their permanent residents, Gonzo, the tamandua, was absolutely fascinated by our cameras. And while we could have filmed an episode with him, we also had the unique opportunity to film with Beru, the smallest tamandua you have ever seen. Get ready for your heart to melt. This might be the cutest animal we have ever featured on Breaking Trail. It is Beru, my little friend. This little bizarre creature that has me on the run is a lesser anteater, better known here in Costa Rica as the tamandua. And Beru was brought here to the sanctuary after his mother was sadly killed by a stray dog. And right now, he's in the process of rehabilitation and being nourished and fed well every single day so he can build up his strength and eventually be released back into the wild. They do walk kind of awkward. This is an arboreal species and they're usually found up in trees, but when they come down on the ground, you can see that they kind of just waddle along. That's because they have to tuck their claws underneath their hands so that they can walk. Very curious about this camera. And he's only a few weeks old. And look at how well he climbs, watch that. Look at him get up the side of that log. He's got me on the run. And like all baby animals, Beru here is extremely curious. Everything is new, including GoPro cameras. This is some serious exercise. I'm sweating bullets in here. He's got me running around in circles. So is this a large or a small hemondua? Well, this is a small one right here, but they do get to be about 30 pounds in weight when full grown and about three feet in length. And 2 3rds of that length is usually in the tail. You can see how long that tail is. Oh, look at that, that's a good natural instinct right there exploring little holes in the logs. And what they feed on is primarily termites and ants. But at this age, he's enjoying goat's milk and fruit. And you'll notice this real distinct pattern. Watch as he walks up here. You see that, it almost looks like this animal is wearing a vest. You have the real dark coarse fur there. And as he grows older, this lighter fur will turn a yellowish tan. They're very, very gorgeous animals. And the tail only ever has real sparse fur on it. It almost looks like the tail of an opossum. Hey, Beru, come here, buddy. Look at those claws. Now, they look menacing on an animal just this size. Imagine him being three feet in length and weighing 30 pounds. Now, they use these claws to tear apart termite mounds, but they're also used to defend them against predators. Now, you see how he can stand up on his back legs like that? In the event that a predator is to approach, he'll do this right there, rear up and show you those claws. And then they will swing, whew, whew, whew. And like razor sharp sickles, if you try to attack this creature, you're going to be in some serious trouble. You see that? Look at that nose, just slightly curved. And their mouth is very tiny, just enough space for them to stick out this very long tongue. His tongue is about four inches long. And they use that to lap up termites. They can stick it down into little holes, and it's sticky. The termites will stick right to the tongue, and then he sucks his food right back into his mouth. And look at how cute he is. Look, he's getting a little scratch right there. A little butt scratch. Here, I'll help you out. Oh gosh, that's the spot. My goodness. Nothing's better than a good butt scratch, huh, Beru? There you go, buddy. All right. And we're off to the races. Where you going, Beru? Uh-oh. He found Mario. I got a little ants in my pants. Oh, how adorable is that face? Oh. My turn. Come on, Beru. This direction. Come on. Let's go this way. And what we ultimately want to happen is for Beru to be released back out into the wild. And as soon as he gets a little older, and a little healthier, he will be released. Oh, look at that. Look at that balance. Let's see. Come here. Let me look at you. Oh, goodness. Oh, he likes the microphone. He sees that, and he thinks, hmm, is it possible that that is a termite mound? Beru is only a few weeks old, and if he was still living in the wild with his mother, he would spend the first year of his life relying on her for survival. With his mother gone, Beru's future is now in the hands of humans. He is fed several times a day, gets plenty of exercise, and the staff at Alturas is confident that he will one day return to the wild. Well, how excellent was this, spending the morning paddling around with a baby tamandua? I'm Coyote Peterson. Be brave. Stay wild. We'll see you on the next adventure. The Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary is helping injured, orphaned, and overly domesticated animals every single day, and the work is incredibly challenging. If you would like to help further their mission of rescue, rehabilitate, and release, make sure to visit the website alturaswildlifesanctuary.org to make a donation or become a part of the volunteer team. So many adorable animals. Which one do you think was your favorite? Did you catch the episode about the Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine? If not, make sure to go back and watch my hangout with Bud. And don't forget, subscribe to join me and the crew on this season of Breaking Trail. Ooh, here's another peanut. Round two. Just kidding. That's for you, buddy.