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This monumental snout is also built to accommodate a 60cm-long tongue that traps its victims in a coating of treacle-like saliva. Attached directly to the sternum at its base, the tongue is unique among mammals in lacking structural connections in the throat. This gives it a huge freedom of movement, allowing it to project 45cm from the mouth ...
The giant anteater is one of the most unique mammals in the world. It’s medium-sized and insectivorous, and recognisable for its elongated snout, bushy tail and long sticky tongue. They are found in the grasslands and rainforests of Central and South America. Most live in Brazil, but they can be found in areas surrounding Brazil, and into Panama.
- Grasslands and rainforests
- 5ft 11-7ft (182 to 217 cms)
- Up to 16 years
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- Physical characteristics
- Appearance
- Behavior
- Description
- Distribution and habitat
- Diet
- Reproduction
Giant anteaters have a long, distinctive snout with a 2-foot-long tongue and no teeth. They may have diminished senses of hearing and sight, but they have a highly developed sense of smell.
These anteaters are distinctively patterned in various shades of brown with wide, black stripes that run from their upper front legs toward their spine. Their front legs are white, and they have a bushy tail. They have no undercoats to provide warmth; instead they have bristly, short hair on their shoulders and longer hair on their legs and tail, w...
Giant anteaters protect their sharp front claws by tucking them into their palms and walking on their front knuckles. Their back feet and claws are more similar to bears (they only knuckle walk with their front feet). They walk in a slow, shuffling gait but when necessary can gallop at over 30 miles per hour (48 kilometers per hour). They can also ...
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.
Giant anteaters are found throughout Central and South America except for Guatemala, Uruguay and El Salvador, where they are considered to be extinct. They live in wetlands, grasslands and tropical forests.
Research has found that giant anteaters can identify the particular species of ant or termite by smell before they rip apart the prey's nest. When feeding, sticky saliva coats the tongue. The 2-foot-long tongue is attached to the sternum and can flick in and out up to 150 times per minute. Anteaters feed almost exclusively on ants and termites, who...
Giant anteaters reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years of age. Gestation lasts about 180 days (six months). They give birth to a single young and suckle the offspring from a pair of mammary glands located on the chest.
- Anteaters Are of the Same Order, Xenarthra, as Armadillos. "This order also includes sloths and armadillos," says Melissa Ciccariello, zookeeper in charge of anteaters for Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island, via an email interview.
- They Don't Have the Longest Tongue of Any Animal. While the giant anteater's tongue is about 20 to 24 inches (51 to 61 centimeters) long, the blue whale has the largest tongue of any animal alive today, according to Schwartz.
- Anteaters Slip Their "Spaghetti-like" Tongue Into Ant Hills and Termite Mounds to Eat. "They use their claws to break open ant and termite mounds," says Ciccariello.
- An Anteater Will Eat up to 30,000 Ants or Termites a Day. "While anteaters will eat primarily ants and termites, it's not uncommon for them to enjoy fallen fruit," says Schwartz.
The giant anteater can be identified by its large size, long, narrow muzzle, and long bushy tail. It has a total body length of 182 to 217 cm (5 ft 11 + 1 ⁄ 2 in to 7 ft 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 in). Males weigh 33 to 50 kg (73 to 110 lb) and females weigh 27 to 47 kg (60 to 104 lb), [6] [15] [16] making the giant anteater the biggest extant species in ...
Physical Description. Giant anteaters are quite distinctive morphologically, they are the largest of the anteater species. The snout is long (up to 45 cm in length) and the skull is streamlined with small eyes and ears. The tail is large and bushy and is nearly as long as the body. Head and body length measures 1,000 to ...
The anteater's narrow tongue is about 2 feet (60 centimeters) long and is shaped like a strand of spaghetti. This amazing tongue has teeny, backward-pointing spines covered in sticky saliva that aid in feeding. Relying on its acute sense of smell, the giant anteater detects an ant mound and swiftly rips into it with its sharp, formidable claws.
