Family of Anteaters
This small family includes three species of anteaters, the giant anteater (sometimes called the ant bear), the tamandua (or lesser anteater), and the silky anteater, the smallest of all anteaters. All three species share amazing feature: they eat without opening their mouths. In fact, they are not able to open the mouth because they have a tubular muzzle with a small opening at the end. These animals are insectivores, feeding mostly on ants or termites. An anteater easily tears insect nests open with its long front claws and inserts its long, sticky tongue into the it to retract the tongue together with the insects stuck to it. Black, backward-pointing spines covering the palate and internal sides of the cheeks aid in feeding. The anteater eats quickly, flicking its tongue up to 160 times per minute. Anteaters do not have teeth and therefore do not chew ants but rather crash them against muscular walls of the stomach and small pebbles that they swallow. Anteaters are voracious; the giant anteater is able to consume up to two kilograms of ants in one day, which is not surprising with the animal’s weight reaching 25 kg. Anteaters occur in marshy areas, moist forests, and savannahs.
The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) has a long (up to 90 cm), beautiful tail which the animal uses for covering its body while resting. The hair grows especially long on the tail, reaching up to 40 centimetres! Giant anteaters walk with a slow shuffle on all four legs but they can outrun a human in a short distance. Anteaters are also good swimmers able to swim over wide rivers. When attacked, the anteater is able to defend itself: it rears up on its hind legs, and slashes at an attacker with its powerful front legs and sharp claws. Even a jaguar can not easily kill an adult great anteater. Gestation in females lasts 190 days and results in the birth of a single offspring weighing about 1.7 kilograms. The mother carries its pup on her back until it reaches the age of two months. Young anteaters become fully independent only by two years of age. The great anteater is included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as vulnerable.
Other anteater species are almost exclusively arboreal and rarely come to the ground. They feature long, prehensile tails with hairless underside, and strong limbs. Both species are nocturnal, sleeping in tree hollows in the daytime. They give birth to their offspring in trees. Females carry their pups on the back and males are always staying close to the females, sometimes taking over the responsibilities of baby caring. The parents in turn feed their offspring with the gruel of digested ants. Two anteater species differ in size: the body length of the tamandua is about 59 cm, while the silky anteater is very small – its body length ranges from 15 to 18 cm and weight is only 400 grams.
