It was discovered by John J. Kavelaars et al. on September 23, 2000, and given the temporary designation S/2000 S 4.

The name, given in August 2003, is after Tarvos, a deity depicted as a bull god carrying three cranes alongside its back from Gaulish mythology.

[8] Tarvos orbits Saturn at an average distance of 18 million km in 926 days and is about 15 km in diameter (assuming an albedo of 0.06).

[4] It is a member of the Gallic group of irregular satellites.

With a similar orbit and displaying a similar light-red colour to Albiorix, Tarvos is thought to have its origin in the break-up of a common progenitor[6][9] or to be a fragment of that body.