photo by Susan Pettitt, San Francisco Zoo

GIANT ANTEATER
Myrmecophaga tridactyla

Is it really a giant?!  Giant Anteaters are named “giant” because they are the largest of the three anteater species- the smaller two are the tamandua and the silky anteater. Although this unique species is about the size of a golden retriever, their bushy tail measures 2 -3 feet long. They are covered in coarse, straw-like hair that is usually a grey tint, but the color varies on each individual ant eater.

You’ll find me… in grasslands, savannas, and open tropical forests ranging from Southern Mexico, through Central America, and South America east of the Andes through Uruguay and northern Argentina.

Do anteaters ONLY eat ants? No, they eat social insects such as termites, ants, beetles, insect larvae and occasionally fruit. They can eat up to 35,000 insects a day!

Crunch, crunch, crunch… Amazingly, giant anteaters don’t have teeth, but hard growths found inside the mouth help crush insects. They gather insects by extending a long, narrow tongue that can measure up to 2 feet long! That’s the largest tongue in relation to its body size of any mammal. Also, the tongue can be extended up to 150 times per minute!

“Pup”py back ride… Anteaters typically mate in the fall and have around 180-190 day gestation period before the young (called a “pup”) is born. The gestating female stands on her two back legs and births standing upright; the pup immediately climbs onto her back. The thick, coarse hair provides a good grasp and provides good camouflage from interested predators. The newborn looks like a full-grown anteater and rides on its mother’s back for the first year of its life.

Walk on… The giant anteater pup leaves the care of its mother around age two. While the giant anteater has five digits on each foot, their first digit is reduced and the second and third digits have long, sharp claws used for protecting itself from the anteater’s major predators: jaguars and pumas.

Speaking of walking… giant anteaters walk on their fists instead of the soles of their forefeet. This helps keep the long claws on the second and third digits sharp for opening termiite mounds.

Blast from the past: The giant anteater species has been in existence for around 25 million years!

Conservation Status: Vulnerable.

Australasia | Conservation Corner | Madagascar |
Marco Polo Trail | North America | Plains of Africa | Tropical America