The giant anteater inhabits several habitats including rainforests and grasslands primarily feeds on ants and termites. The giant anteater is recognized by its bushy tail, distinctively colored fur, elongated snout, and long fore claws. In some parts of their range, giant anteaters are occasionally hunted for food, and are additionally caught in the wild to be kept as pets or for the illegal trade. The term anteater is a common name given to the four extant species of mammals of the suborder Vermilingua. Within Central America, the species has disappeared from much of its range, with recent sightings generally confined to highland regions. With proportionately larger crania and shorter faces, the silky anteaters are the smallest living anteaters compared to other species. The giant anteater has an elongated snout and a very bushy tail. They are long-tailed animals with elongated skulls and tubular muzzles. See the positive change our work is making around the world. It is one of four living species of anteaters, the only extant member of the genus Myrmecophaga, and is classified with sloths in the order Pilosa. In contrast to the arboreal and semi-arboreal nature of the other living species of sloths and anteaters, the giant anteaters are mostly terrestrial. Anteaters were once speculated to be related to pangolins and aardvarks due to the similarities of the physical characteristics of the two animal species. Anteaters are among the three families of the only surviving group of mammals that were once diverse and inhabited the region of South America (the other two are armadillos and sloths). It has black eyes and red soles on its feet. Giant anteaters become reproductively active between 1.8–4 years of age. In a few instances, a giant anteater has killed a puma or jaguar while defending itself against attack. The animal is generally about 3 feet and 11 inches in length, and uses its strong four claws to defend itself and to break insect nests. Which Continent Is Situated In All Four Hemispheres? In South America, this species seems to be extinct in Uruguay and in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. However, such similarities have since been deduced to be of convergent evolution compared to common ancestry. The silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus), also known as pygmy anteater, is the only living species of anteaters in the Cyclopes genus and Cyclopedidae family. The coarse, dense fur that covers its body is mostly dark brown or black but it has white forelegs with black bands around its wrists and a wide band of black fur stretches across its chest and all the way to the middle of its back. The giant anteater is considered the most threatened mammal of Central America; it seems to be extinct in Belize and Guatemala, and has disappeared from parts of Costa Rica. With a length of 5.97 to 7.12 feet and a weight of 60 to 86 pounds for females and 73 to 90 pounds for males, the animal is the largest species of its family. Learn More ». The giant anteater also has a long, bushy tail which can be two to three … Countries Where Illegal Wildlife Trade Is A Major Threat To Wildlife. The young become independent at 8–9 months of age. This terrestrial anteater is found in tropical moist forest, dry forest, savanna habitats and open grasslands; it is common in many parts of the Gran Chaco. [They’re natural conservationists!]. This species is mostly terrestrial, in contrast to other living anteaters and sloths, which are arborealor semiarboreal. Giant anteaters are natural conservationists! The term anteater is a common name given to the four extant species of mammals of the suborder Vermilingua. Occasionally, they also eat unusual items such as beetle larvae or honeybees that maintain their colonies in termite mounds. Explore your giving options, The Rainforest Alliance certification seal means that the product (or a specified ingredient) was produced by farmers, foresters, and/or companies working together to create a world where people and nature thrive in harmony. Because of the real threats to this species and the noticeable declines, a precautionary assessment of Vulnerable is given. Where this species inhabits grassland habitats it is particularly susceptible to fires. The northern tamandua which resembles a middle sized anteater has small eyes, a long snout, big ears and a prehensile tail. They can ingest thousands of these insects per day. Of the four different anteater species, the giant anteater is by far the largest. The giant anteater has coarse hair which can be grey or brown in colour, with a white-banded black stripe running along the giant anteater's body. However, each of the four individual species of anteaters comprises of names from other languages including English. The giant anteater has an elongated snout and a very bushy tail. How Much Of The Amazon Rainforest Is Left? The Rainforest Alliance is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-3377893. Also known as lesser anteater or the collared anteater, southern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) is a South American species of anteater mainly found in Trinidad, Uruguay, Venezuela, southern Brazil, and northern Argentina. In the wild, giant anteaters consume mostly termites, ants, beetles, larger insect larvae, worms and the occasional fruit. It is widespread geographically, but there have been many records of local extinctions, especially in Central America (where it is considered the most threatened mammal) and the southern parts of its range. The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), also known as the ant bear, is an insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. Giant anteaters walk on their knuckles like some primates. 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