The giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') is an insectivorous mammal native to Central and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. It is the largest of the four living species of

anteater Anteaters are the four extant mammal species in the suborder Vermilingua (meaning "worm tongue"), commonly known for eating ants and termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together with sloths, they ar ...

s, which are classified with

sloth Sloths are a Neotropical realm, Neotropical group of xenarthran mammals constituting the suborder Folivora, including the extant Arboreal locomotion, arboreal tree sloths and extinct terrestrial ground sloths. Noted for their slowness of move ...

s in the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

Pilosa The Order (biology), order Pilosa is a clade of xenarthran placental mammals, native to the Americas. It includes anteaters and sloths (which include the extinct ground sloths). The name comes from the Latin word for "hairy". Origins and taxon ...

. The only extant member of the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Myrmecophaga'', the giant anteater is mostly terrestrial, in contrast to other living anteaters and sloths, which are

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally (scansorial), but others are exclusively arboreal. The hab ...

or semiarboreal. The species is in length, with weights of for males and for females. It is recognizable by its elongated snout, bushy tail, long foreclaws, and distinctively colored fur. The giant anteater is found in multiple habitats, including

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

and

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

. It forages in open areas and rests in more forested habitats. It feeds primarily on

ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

s and

termite Termites are a group of detritivore, detritophagous Eusociality, eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of Detritus, decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, Plant litter, leaf litter, and Humus, soil humus. They are dist ...

s, using its foreclaws to dig them up and its long, sticky tongue to collect them. Though giant anteaters live in overlapping

home range A home range is the area in which an animal lives and moves on a periodic basis. It is related to the concept of an animal's territory which is the area that is actively defended. The concept of a home range was introduced by W. H. Burt in 1943. ...

s, they are mostly solitary except during mother-offspring relationships, aggressive interactions between males, and when mating. Mother anteaters carry their offspring on their backs until weaning them. The giant anteater is listed as vulnerable by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

. It has been

extirpated Local extinction, also extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinctions. Local extinctions mark a chan ...

from many parts of its former range. Threats to its survival include

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

, fire, and poaching for fur and

bushmeat Bushmeat is meat from wildlife species that are Hunting, hunted for human consumption. Bushmeat represents a primary source of animal protein and a cash-earning commodity in poor and rural communities of humid tropical forest regions of the worl ...

, although some anteaters inhabit protected areas. With its distinctive appearance and habits, the anteater has been featured in

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

myth Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

s and folktales, as well as modern

popular culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of cultural practice, practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art

f. pop art F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...

or mass art, sometimes contraste ...

Taxonomy

The giant anteater got its

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

from

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

in 1758. Its generic name, ''Myrmecophaga'', and

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''tridactyla'', are both Greek, meaning "anteater" and "three fingers", respectively. ''Myrmecophaga jubata'' was used as a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

. Three subspecies have been suggested: ''M. t. tridactyla'' (

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

and

the Guianas The Guianas, also spelled Guyanas or Guayanas, are a geographical region in north-eastern South America. Strictly, the term refers to the three Guianas: Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, formerly British, Dutch, and French Guiana respectiv ...

south to northern

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

), ''M. t. centralis'' (Central America to northwestern

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

and northern

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

), and ''M. t. artata'' (northeastern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela). The giant anteater is grouped with the semiarboreal northern and

southern tamandua The southern tamandua (''Tamandua tetradactyla''), also called the collared anteater or lesser anteater, is a species of anteater from South America and the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. It is a solitary animal found in many habitats, from ...

s in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Myrmecophagidae The Myrmecophagidae are a family of anteaters. Two genera and three species are in the family, consisting of the giant anteater, and the tamanduas. The fossil '' Eurotamandua'' from the Messel Pit in Germany may be an early anteater, but its sta ...

. Together with the family

Cyclopedidae The Cyclopedidae is a family of anteaters that includes the silky anteater The silky anteater, also known as the pygmy anteater, has traditionally been considered a single species of anteater, ''Cyclopes didactylus'', in the genus ''Cyclopes ...

, whose only extant member is the arboreal

silky anteater The silky anteater, also known as the pygmy anteater, has traditionally been considered a single species of anteater, ''Cyclopes didactylus'', in the genus ''Cyclopes'', the only living genus in the family Cyclopedidae. Found in southern Mexico ...

, the two families comprise the suborder

Vermilingua Anteaters are the four extant mammal species in the suborder Vermilingua (meaning "worm tongue"), commonly known for eating ants and termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together with sloths, they ar ...

. Anteaters and

s belong to the order

and share the superorder

Xenarthra Xenarthra (; from Ancient Greek ξένος, xénos, "foreign, alien" + ἄρθρον, árthron, "joint") is a superorder and major clade of placental mammals native to the Americas. There are 31 living species: the anteaters, tree sloths, and ...

with the

Cingulata Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra, is an order of armored New World placental mammals. The armadillos, whose species are split between the families Dasypodidae and Chlamyphoridae, are the only surviving members of the order. Two grou ...

(whose only extant members are

armadillo Armadillos () are New World placental mammals in the order (biology), order Cingulata. They form part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are dis ...

s). The two orders of Xenarthra split 65 million years ago (Mya) during the

Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...

epoch In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured. The moment of epoch is usually decided b ...

. Anteaters and sloths diverged around 58 Mya, during the

Paleocene The Paleocene ( ), or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 mya (unit), million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), ...

epoch. The lineages of ''Cyclopes'' and other extant anteaters split around 40 Mya in the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

epoch, while the

last common ancestor A most recent common ancestor (MRCA), also known as a last common ancestor (LCA), is the most recent individual from which all organisms of a set are inferred to have descended. The most recent common ancestor of a higher taxon is generally assu ...

of ''Myrmecophaga'' and ''

Tamandua ''Tamandua'' is a genus of anteaters in the Myrmecophagidae family with two species: the southern tamandua (''T. tetradactyla'') and the northern tamandua (''T. mexicana''). They live in forests and grasslands, are semiarboreal, and possess part ...

'' existed circa 13 Mya in the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

epoch. Through most of their evolutionary history, anteaters were confined to South America, which was formerly an island continent. Following the formation of the

Isthmus of Panama The Isthmus of Panama, historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North America, North and South America. The country of Panama is located on the i ...

about 3 Mya, anteaters of all three extant genera invaded Central America as part of the

Great American Interchange The Great American Biotic Interchange (commonly abbreviated as GABI), also known as the Great American Interchange and the Great American Faunal Interchange, was an important late Cenozoic paleozoogeographic biotic interchange event in which land ...

. The following

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek language, Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an Phylogenetic tree, evolutionary tree because it does not s ...

is based on a genetic study by Delsuc and colleagues (2012). The fossil record for anteaters is generally sparse. Known fossils include the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Palaeomyrmidon'', a close relative to the silky anteater, '' Protamandua'', which is closer to the giant anteater and the tamanduas from the

, and '' Neotamandua'', which is believed to have close affinities to ''Myrmecophaga''. ''Protamandua'' was larger than the silky anteater but smaller than a tamandua, while ''Neotamandua'' was larger, falling somewhere between a tamandua and a giant anteater. ''Protamandua'' did not appear to be specialized for walking or climbing, but it may have had a

prehensile Prehensility is the quality of an appendage or organ that has adapted for grasping or holding. The word is derived from the Latin term ''prehendere'', meaning "to grasp". The ability to grasp is likely derived from a number of different origin ...

tail. ''Neotamandua'', though, is unlikely to have had a prehensile tail, and its feet were similar in form to both the tamanduas and the giant anteater. The species '' Neotamandua borealis'' was suggested to be an ancestor of the latter. Another member of the genus ''Myrmecophaga'' has been recovered from the

Montehermosan The Montehermosan age is a period of geologic time (6.8–4.0 Mya (unit), Ma) within the Miocene and Pliocene epochs of the Neogene used more specifically with South American Land Mammal Ages. It follows the Huayquerian and precedes the Chapadmalal ...

Monte Hermoso Formation in Argentina and was described by Kraglievitch in 1934 as ''Nunezia caroloameghinoi''. The species was reclassified as '' Myrmecophaga caroloameghinoi'' by S. E. Hirschfeld in 1976. The giant anteater is the most terrestrial of the living anteater species; specialization for life on the ground appears to be a new trait in anteater evolution. The transition to life on the ground could have been aided by the expansion of open habitats such as

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

in South America and the abundance of native colonial insects, such as termites, that provided a larger potential food source. Both the giant anteater and the southern tamandua are well represented in the fossil record of the

late Pleistocene The Late Pleistocene is an unofficial Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, also known as the Upper Pleistocene from a Stratigraphy, stratigraphic perspective. It is intended to be the fourth division ...

and early

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

Characteristics

The giant anteater can be identified by its large size, long, narrow muzzle, and long, bushy tail. It has a total body length of . Males weigh , and females weigh , making the giant anteater the biggest extant species in its suborder. The head of the giant anteater, at long, is particularly elongated, even when compared to other anteaters. Its cylindrical snout takes up most of its head. Its eyes, ears, and mouth are relatively small. It has poor eyesight but has a powerful sense of smell, 40 times that of a human. While there is some difference in size and shape between the sexes, males being larger and more robust, telling them apart from a distance can be difficult. The male's genitals are located within its body, and its urogenital opening is smaller and farther from the anus than the female's. The female's two mammary glands are located between the front legs. Even for an anteater, the neck is especially thick compared to the back of the head, and a small hump protrudes behind it. The coat is mostly grayish brown or black with mottled white. They have white front legs with black-ringed wrists and hands, dark hind legs, and a brown tail. From the throat to the shoulders is a thick black mark with white outlines and sharp tips. The coat hairs are long, especially on the tail, which makes the appendage look larger than it actually is. An erect mane stretches along the back. The bold pattern was thought to be disruptive camouflage, but a 2009 study suggests it is

warning coloration Aposematism is the Advertising in biology, advertising by an animal, whether terrestrial or marine, to potential predation, predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defenses which make the pr ...

. The giant anteater has broad ribs and five toes on each foot. Three toes on the front feet have claws, which are particularly large on the third digits. It walks on its front knuckles, similar to

gorilla Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...

s and

chimpanzee The chimpanzee (; ''Pan troglodytes''), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of Hominidae, great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close rel ...

s. This allows the giant anteater to walk without scraping its claws on the ground. The middle digits, which support most of its weight, have long

metacarpophalangeal joints The metacarpophalangeal joints (MCP) are situated between the metacarpal bones and the proximal phalanges of the fingers. These joints are of the condyloid kind, formed by the reception of the rounded heads of the metacarpal bones into shallow ...

and bent interphalangeal joints. Unlike the front feet, the hind feet have short claws on all five toes and walk

plantigrade 151px, Portion of a human skeleton, showing plantigrade habit In terrestrial animals, plantigrade locomotion means walking with the toes and metatarsals flat on the ground. It is one of three forms of locomotion adopted by terrestrial mammals. ...

. As a "hook-and-pull" digger, the giant anteater has a large

supraspinous fossa The supraspinous fossa (supraspinatus fossa, supraspinatous fossa) of the posterior aspect of the scapula (the shoulder blade) is smaller than the infraspinous fossa, concave, smooth, and broader at its vertebral than at its humeral end. Its m ...

, which gives the

teres major The teres major muscle is a muscle of the upper limb. It attaches to the scapula and the humerus and is one of the seven scapulohumeral muscles. It is a thick but somewhat flattened muscle. The teres major muscle (from Latin ''teres'', meanin ...

more leverage—increasing the front limbs' pulling power—and the triceps muscle helps control the thickened middle digit. The giant anteater has a low body temperature for a mammal, about , a few degrees lower than a typical mammalian temperature of . Xenarthrans in general tend to have lower

metabolic rate Metabolism (, from ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cellular processes; the co ...

s than most other mammals, a trend thought to correlate with their dietary specializations and low mobility.

Feeding anatomy

The giant anteater has no teeth and is capable of very limited jaw movement. It relies on the rotation of the two halves of its lower jaw, held together by a ligament connecting the rami, to open and close its mouth. This is accomplished by its chewing muscles, which are relatively underdeveloped. Jaw depression creates an oral opening large enough for the slender tongue to flick out. It has a length of around and is more triangular in the back but becomes more rounded towards the front and ends in a rounded tip. The tongue has backward-curving papillae and is extremely moist due to the large salivary glands. The tongue can only move forwards and backwards due to the tiny mouth and shape of the snout. During feeding, the animal relies on the direction of its head for aim. When fully extended, the tongue reaches and can move in and out around 160 times per minute (nearly three times per second). A unique sternoglossus muscle, a combination of the

sternohyoid The sternohyoid muscle is a bilaterally paired, long, thin, narrow strap muscle of the anterior neck. It is one of the infrahyoid muscles. It is innervated by the ansa cervicalis. It acts to depress the hyoid bone. The sternohyoid muscle is a ...

and the

hyoglossus The hyoglossus is a thin and quadrilateral extrinsic muscle of the tongue. It originates from the hyoid bone; it inserts onto the side of the tongue. It is innervated by the hypoglossal nerve (cranial nerve XII). It acts to depress and retract th ...

, anchors the tongue directly to the

sternum The sternum (: sternums or sterna) or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major bl ...

. The hyoid apparatus is large, V-shaped, and flexible and supports the tongue as it moves. The

buccinator The bucinator () is a thin quadrilateral muscle occupying the interval between the maxilla and the mandible at the side of the face. It forms the anterior part of the cheek or the lateral wall of the oral cavity.Illustrated Anatomy of the Head an ...

(cheek) muscles loosen and tighten, allowing food in and preventing it from falling out. When retracted, the tongue is held in the

oropharynx The pharynx (: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the esophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs respectively). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its ...

, preventing it from blocking

respiration Respiration may refer to: Biology * Cellular respiration, the process in which nutrients are converted into useful energy in a cell ** Anaerobic respiration, cellular respiration without oxygen ** Maintenance respiration, the amount of cellul ...

. The anteater presses its tongue against its palate to smash the insects for swallowing. Unlike other mammals, giant anteaters swallow almost constantly when feeding. The giant anteater's stomach, similar to a bird's

gizzard The gizzard, also referred to as the ventriculus, gastric mill, and gigerium, is an organ found in the digestive tract of some animals, including archosaurs (birds and other dinosaurs, crocodiles, alligators, pterosaurs), earthworms, some gast ...

, has hardened folds to crush food, assisted by some sand and soil. The giant anteater cannot produce stomach acid of its own but digests using the

formic acid Formic acid (), systematically named methanoic acid, is the simplest carboxylic acid. It has the chemical formula HCOOH and structure . This acid is an important intermediate in chemical synthesis and occurs naturally, most notably in some an ...

of its prey.

Distribution and status

The giant anteater is native to Central and

; its known range stretches from

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

and northern Argentina, and fossil remains have been found as far north as northwestern

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

, Mexico. It is largely absent from the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

and has been fully extirpated in

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

, and

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

, as well as in parts of

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, and

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

. The species can live in both tropical rainforests and arid shrublands, provided enough prey is present to sustain it. The species is listed as vulnerable by the

, due to the number of regional extirpations, and under Appendix II by

CITES CITES (shorter acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of inte ...

, tightly restricting international trade in specimens. By 2014, the total population declined more than 30 percent "over the last three generations". In 1994, some 340 giant anteaters died due to

wildfires A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

at Emas National Park in Brazil. The animal is particularly vulnerable to fires, as its coat can easily be set ablaze, and it is too slow to escape. Human-induced threats include collision with vehicles, attacks by dogs, and destruction of habitat. One study of anteater mortality along roads found that they are likely to be struck on linear roads near native plants. A 2018 study in Brazil found that: (1) roads were more likely to be detrimental to anteaters because of habitat fragmentation rather than vehicle accidents, (2) 18–20% of satisfactory anteater habitat did not reach minimum patch size, (3) 0.1–1% of its range had dangerously high road density, (4) 32–36% of the anteater's distribution represented critical areas for its survival, and (5) more conservation opportunities existed in the north of the country. A 2020 study in the Brazilian

Cerrado The Cerrado () is a vast ecoregion of Tropics, tropical savanna in central Brazil, being present in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Paraná ...

found that road mortality can cut population growth by 50 percent at the local level. The giant anteater is commonly hunted in Bolivia, both as a

trophy A trophy is a tangible, decorative item used to remind of a specific achievement, serving as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most commonly awarded for sports, sporting events, ranging from youth sports to professional level athlet ...

and food. The animal's thick, leathery hide is used to make

horse-riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the u ...

equipment in the Chaco. In Venezuela, it is slain for its claws. Giant anteaters are also killed for their perceived danger, particularly during threat displays. The biggest ecological strengths of the species are its wide range and adaptability. The

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

Pantanal The Pantanal () is a natural region encompassing the world's largest tropical wetland area, and the world's largest Flooded grasslands and savannas, flooded grasslands. It is located mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but i ...

, and the ''Cerrado'' have various protected areas where the anteater finds refuge. In Argentina, some local governments list it as a national heritage species, affording it official protection.

Behaviour and ecology

Despite its iconic status, the giant anteater is little studied in the wild, and research has been limited to certain areas. The species may use multiple habitats; a 2007 study of giant anteaters in the Brazilian Pantanal found that the animals move and forage in open areas and rest in forests; the latter provide shade when the temperature rises and retain heat when the temperature drops. Anteaters may travel an average of per day. Giant anteaters can be either diurnal or

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

; a 2006 study in the Pantanal found them to be mostly nocturnal when it is warm but become more active in daylight hours as the temperature drops. Diurnal giant anteaters have been observed at Serra da Canastra. Nocturnality in anteaters may be a response to human disturbances. Giant anteaters prefer dense brush to sleep in, but when it gets cooler, they may use tall grass. When they need to rest, they carve a shallow cavity in the ground. The animal sleeps curled up with its bushy tail over its body, both to keep it warm and to

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

it from predators. One anteater was recorded sleeping flat on its side with the tail unfolded on a morning, possibly to allow its body to absorb the sun's rays for warmth. Giant anteaters sometimes enter water to bathe and even swim across wide rivers. They are also able to climb and have been recorded ascending both termite mounds and trees while foraging. One individual was observed attempting to climb a tree by rearing up and grabbing onto a branch above it.

Spacing

Giant anteater home ranges vary in size depending on the location, ranging from as small as in

Serra da Canastra National Park Serra da Canastra National Park () is a national park in the Canastra Mountains of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Location Serra da Canastra National Park is in the south west of Minas Gerais to the north of Rio Grande. It is in the Cerrado ...

, Brazil, to as large as in Iberá Natural Reserve, Argentina. Individuals mostly live alone, aside from the young who stay with their mothers. Anteaters keep in contact with secretions from their anal glands and tree markings and appear to be able to recognize each other's saliva by scent. Females are more tolerant of each other than males are and thus are more likely to be found closer together. Males are more likely to engage in

agonistic behavior Agonistic behaviour is any social behaviour related to fighting, which can include aggressive behaviour, but also threats, displays, retreats, placation, and conciliation. The term "agonistic behaviour" was first defined and used by J.P. Scott ...

s, which start with the combatants approaching and circling each other while uttering a "harrr" noise. This can escalate into chasing and actual fighting. Combat includes wrestling, slashing with the claws, and bellowing. Males are possibly

territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

Foraging

This animal is an

insectivore file:Common brown robberfly with prey.jpg, A Asilidae, robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivore, carnivorous animal or plant which eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the Entomophagy ...

, feeding mostly on

s or

s. In areas that experience regular flooding, like the Pantanal and the Venezuelan-Colombian

Llanos The Llanos ( Spanish ''Los Llanos'', "The Plains"; ) is a vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela, in northwestern South America. It is an ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical grasslands, ...

, anteaters mainly feed on ants, which are more numerous. Conversely, termites are more numerous in the grasslands of Emas National Park and hence are a more important food source for anteaters there. At Serra da Canastra, during the

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...

(October to March), anteaters eat mainly ants, while during the

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...

(May to September), they switch to termites. Anteaters track prey by their scent. After finding a nest, the animal tears it open with its claws and inserts its long, sticky tongue to collect its prey (which includes eggs, larvae, and adult insects). An anteater attacks up to 200 nests in one day, for as long as a minute each, and consumes a total of around 35,000 insects. The anteater may be driven away from a nest by the chemical or biting attacks of soldiers. Termites may rely on their fortified

mound A mound is a wikt:heaped, heaped pile of soil, earth, gravel, sand, rock (geology), rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded ...

s for protection or use an underground tunnel system to escape. Other prey include the larvae of

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

s and

western honey bee The western honey bee or European honey bee (''Apis mellifera'') is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name ''Apis'' is Latin for 'bee', and ''mellifera'' is the Latin for 'honey-bearing' or 'honey-carrying', ...

s. Anteaters may target termite mounds with beehives. Captive anteaters are fed mixtures of milk and eggs as well as

mealworms Mealworms are the larval form of the yellow mealworm beetle, ''Tenebrio molitor'', a species of darkling beetle. The yellow mealworm beetle prefers a warmer climate and higher humidity. Male mealworm beetles release a sex pheromone to attr ...

and ground beef. To drink, an anteater may dig for water when none at the surface is available, creating waterholes for other animals.

Reproduction and parenting

Giant anteaters mate all year. A male trails an

estrous The estrous cycle (, originally ) is a set of recurring physiological changes induced by reproductive hormones in females of mammalian subclass Theria. Estrous cycles start after sexual maturity in females and are interrupted by anestrous phases ...

female, who then partially raises her tail. Courting pairs are known to share the same insect nest during feeding. Mating involves the female lying sideways and the male hunching over. A couple may stay together for up to three days and mate multiple times during that period. Giant anteaters have a 170–190 day gestation period, which ends with the birth of a single pup while the female stands upright. There is some evidence that the species can experience delayed implantation. Pups are born weighing with eyes closed for the first six days. The mother carries its dependent young on its back. The pup camouflages against its mother by aligning its black and white band with hers. The mother grooms and nurses her young, who communicate with her using sharp whistles. After three months, grooming declines, and the young start to eat more solid food. Both grooming and nursing bouts end at 10 months, which is also when the young leaves its mother. They are sexually mature in 2.5–4 years.

Mortality

Giant anteaters may live around 15 years in the wild but can live twice that in captivity. The adult giant anteater has few predators; adults are hunted only by

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

s and pumas. They typically flee from danger by galloping, but if cornered, they will rear up on their hind legs and attack with the claws. The front claws of the giant anteater are formidable weapons, capable of potentially killing a jaguar. The giant anteater is a host of the

Acanthocephala Acanthocephala ( Greek , ' 'thorn' + , ' 'head') is a group of parasitic worms known as acanthocephalans, thorny-headed worms, or spiny-headed worms, characterized by the presence of an eversible proboscis, armed with spines, which it uses t ...

n intestinal parasites ''

Gigantorhynchus echinodiscus ''Gigantorhynchus'' is a genus of Acanthocephala (thorny-headed worms, also known as spiny-headed worms) that parasitize marsupials, anteaters, and possibly baboons by attaching themselves to the intestines using their hook-covered proboscis ...

'' and '' Moniliformis monoechinus''.

Interactions with humans

Attacks

Although they are usually not a threat to humans, giant anteaters can inflict severe wounds with their front claws. Between 2010 and 2012, two hunters were killed by giant anteaters in Brazil; in both cases, the attacks appeared to be defensive behaviors. In April 2007, an anteater at the Florencio Varela Zoo slashed and killed a

zookeeper A zookeeper, sometimes referred as animal keeper, is a person who manages zoo animals that are kept in captivity for conservation or to be displayed to the public.Hurwitz, Jane. Choosing a Career in Animal Care (World of Work). New York: Rosen Gr ...

with its front claws.

In culture

In the

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

and

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

of the indigenous peoples of the

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributary, tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries ...

, the giant anteater is depicted as both a

trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherw ...

and a comical figure due to its appearance. In one Shipib tale, an anteater stole a jaguar's coat after challenging it to a diving contest and left the jaguar with its own pelt. In a Yarabara myth, the evil

ogre An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...

Ucara is punished by the

sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...

and turned into an anteater so he will have been unable to speak with his long snout and small mouth. The

Kayapo people The Kayapo (Portuguese language, Portuguese: Caiapó ) people are an indigenous people in Brazil, living over a vast area across the states of Pará and Mato Grosso, south of the Amazon River and along the Xingu River and its tributaries. This l ...

wear masks of various animals and spirits, including the anteater, during

naming Naming is assigning a name to something. Naming may refer to: * Naming (parliamentary procedure), a procedure in certain parliamentary bodies * Naming ceremony, an event at which an infant is named * Product naming, the discipline of deciding wha ...

and

initiation Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformatio ...

ceremonies. They believe women who touch anteater masks or men who fall while wearing them would die or be disabled. During the

Spanish colonization of the Americas The Spanish colonization of the Americas began in 1493 on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) after the initial 1492 voyage of Genoa, Genoese mariner Christopher Columbus under license from Queen Isabella ...

, the giant anteater was among the native fauna taken to Europe for display. It was popularly thought that there were only female anteaters and they reproduced with their noses, a misconception corrected by naturalist Félix de Azara. In the 20th century, Salvador Dalí wrote imaginatively that the giant anteater "reaches sizes bigger than the horse, possesses enormous ferocity, has exceptional muscle power, is a terrifying animal." Dalí depicted an anteater in the style of ''The Great Masturbator''. It was used as a bookplate for André Breton, who compared the temptations a man experiences in life to what "the tongue of the anteater must offer to the ant." The 1940 Max Fleischer cartoon ''Ants in the Plants'' features a colony of ants fighting off a villainous anteater. It may have been a commentary on France's Maginot Line during the Phoney War. An anteater is also a character in the comic strip ''B.C. (comic strip), B.C.'' This character was the inspiration for Peter the Anteater, the University of California, Irvine UC Irvine Anteaters, team mascot. In the Stephen King miniseries ''Kingdom Hospital'', the character Antubis appears in the form of an anteater-like creature with razor-sharp teeth.

References

External links

The Online Anteater: information, images, fun facts, and other stuff about the giant anteater
* ARKive �
images and movies of the giant anteater.
* Anteater, Sloth & Armadillo Specialist Group –
Giant anteater
* Animal Diversity Web –

{{Authority control Anteaters Fauna of the Amazon, Anteater, giant Fauna of the Caatinga, Anteater, giant Fauna of the Cerrado, Anteater, giant Fauna of the Pantanal, Anteater, giant Mammals of Central America Mammals of Argentina Mammals of Bolivia Mammals of Brazil Mammals of Colombia Vertebrates of Costa Rica Mammals of Ecuador Mammals of French Guiana Mammals of Guyana Vertebrates of Honduras Vertebrates of Nicaragua Vertebrates of Panama Mammals of Paraguay Mammals of Peru Mammals of Suriname Mammals of Venezuela Vulnerable animals Vulnerable biota of South America Extant Zanclean first appearances Pleistocene mammals of South America Pliocene mammals of South America Mammals described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus