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- While anteaters are relatively safe from predators in their natural habitats, they are still vulnerable to certain animals. Jaguars, pumas, and ocelots are the main predators of anteaters in the wild.
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Apr 12, 2024 · southern tamandua. silky anteater. Pilosa. anteater, (suborder Vermilingua), any of four species of toothless, insect -eating mammals found in tropical savannas and forests from southern Mexico to Paraguay and northern Argentina. They are long-tailed animals with elongated skulls and tubular muzzles.
Anteaters are toothless and—as their name suggests—insectivorous, meaning they eat insects. Their diet consists primarily of ants and termites, which they capture by breaking apart insect nests with their clawed toes and then sticking their long tongues inside. These mammals live across North, Central, and South America and inhabit tropical ...
Feeding on Ants. The giant anteater uses its sharp claws to tear an opening into an anthill and put its long snout, sticky saliva, and efficient tongue to work. But it has to eat quickly, flicking ...
The largest of the four anteater species, giant anteaters reach 6-8 feet (1.8-2.4 meters) in length, including both nose and tail. They weigh between 60 and 100 pounds (27 and 45 kilograms). However, it is nearly impossible to differentiate the adult male from the female using external anatomy alone.
Extant species are the giant anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla, about 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) long including the tail; the silky anteater Cyclopes didactylus, about 35 cm (14 in) long; the southern tamandua or collared anteater Tamandua tetradactyla, about 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) long; and the northern tamandua Tamandua mexicana of similar dimensions.
Giant anteaters can use their immense front claws to defend themselves from predators, though their typical response to threat is to run away. Their size makes them invulnerable to all but the largest of predators, jaguars and pumas primarily.
Giant anteaters may live around 15 years in the wild, but can live twice that in captivity. They are preyed on by jaguars and pumas and typically flee from danger by galloping, but if cornered, will rear up on their hind legs and attack with the claws.
