RANGE Southern Belize to northern Argentina
HABITAT Grassland savannas, swamps, humid forests, and woodlands
DIET Mainly ants, termites, and their eggs; will also eat ripe fruit
Giant anteaters are generally solitary. They have poor vision, but an excellent sense of smell, which is 40 times more powerful than humans. Its tongue can protrude more than 2 feet to capture its prey of as many as 30,000 insects in a single day.
Females give birth to one offspring. The young will ride on its mother's back for up to a year.
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.
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.
