# Tayra (*Eira barbara*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/tayra  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The tayra (Eira barbara) is a mammal of the order Carnivora, family Mustelidae and subfamily Guloninae. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial and cathemeral carnivore with an adult body mass of 3.91 kg, and our sources report adults up to 4.135 kg. Gestation lasts 66.65 days, litters range from 1 to 3 young with 2 as the representative value, and sexual maturity is reached at 1.5 years. Its lifespan is 18 years, with values up to 22.3 years, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.91 kg – 4.14 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 18 years – 22.3 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 63 days – 69 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 – 3 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months – 23 months |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Mustelidae
- genus: Eira
- species: *Eira barbara* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Eira barbara barbara*, *Eira barbara biologiae*, *Eira barbara inserta*, *Eira barbara madeirensis*, *Eira barbara peruana*, *Eira barbara poliocephala*, *Eira barbara senex*, *Eira barbara senilis*, *Eira barbara sinuensis*, *Eira ilya*, *Galera barbara bimaculata*, *Galera barbara brunnea*, *Galictis barbara biologiae*, *Galictis barbara peruana*, *Galictis barbara senex*, *Gulo barbatus*, *Gulo canescens*, *Gulo leira*, *Mustela barbara*, *Mustela gulina*, *Mustela sinuensis*, *Tayra barbara inserta*, *Tayra barbara irara*, *Tayra barbara kriegi*, *Tayra barbara madeirensis*, *Tayra barbara peruana*, *Tayra barbara senilis*, *Tayra barbara tucumana*, *Viverra poliocephalus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a tayra?

The tayra is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Mustelidae. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial carnivore.

### How heavy is a tayra?

An adult tayra has a body mass of 3.91 kg, and our sources report adults up to 4.135 kg.

### What does a tayra eat?

The tayra is a carnivore.

### Is the tayra endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List classifies the tayra as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a tayra live?

The tayra has a lifespan of 18 years, and our sources report values up to 22.3 years.

### How many young does a tayra have?

A tayra has 2 young per litter as the representative value, with litters from 1 to 3. Gestation lasts from 63 to 69 days.

### What are other names for the tayra?

Other English names for the tayra are Eira, High-woods dog, Greyheaded tayra and Grey-headed tayra.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Tayra (Eira barbara). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/tayra