Giant Anteater

giant anteater

Giant Anteater

Myrmecophaga tridactyla
Class

Mammalia

Order

Pilosa

Family

Myrmecophagidae

Range

Southern Belize to northern Argentina

Size

Nose to Tail Length: 5 - 7 ft
Weight: 40 - 100 lbs

Habitat

Grassland savannas, swamps, humid forests, and woodlands

Young

Pups: 1
Gestation: 6 months

Diet

Mainly ants, termites, and their eggs; will also eat ripe fruit

IUCN Status

Vulnerable

A giant anteater's tongue can protrude more than 2 feet.

It uses its long tongue to capture its prey of as many as 30,000 insects in a single day.

giant anteater by pool

Poor Vision, Powerful Smell

Giant anteaters are generally solitary. They have poor vision, but an excellent sense of smell, which is 40 times more powerful than humans.

giant anteater in grass

Claws Built for Defense and Dining

The giant anteater's claws are some four inches long, and the animal can fight off even a cougar or jaguar. They use their sharp claws to tear an opening in anthills or termite mounds. They do not destroy the mound so they can return and feed again later.

giant anteater with baby riding on its back

Carrying the Next Generation

Females give birth to one offspring (twins are rare). Pups average 3 lbs. at birth. For the first four weeks of its life, the pup never leaves its mother. The young will ride on its mother's back for up to a year. The pup is usually weaned at about nine months of age and leaves its mother when it is full grown, at about two years of age.

giant anteater walking

Status

The giant anteaters are disappearing due to the exotic pet trade, habitat destruction, and hunting for food and as pests. They have all but disappeared from their historic range within Central America.

Anteaters are essential in maintaining insect populations. In addition, they are food for other larger carnivores.