Location and Habitat
Giant Anteaters live in the southernmost part of Central America and throughout a large part of South
America. They can be found in a variety of habitats including rainforests, savannas, swamps, and
deciduous woodlands.
Diet
As it's name suggests, the giant anteater eats mostly ants. They also dine on other insects including
grubs and termites. An anteater may eat as many as 30,000 ants per day.
Special Adaptations
Anteaters have the longest tongues of all mammals, growing up to two feet long and only half an inch wide.
Their tongues are made to dip into underground insect burrows and are covered in sticky saliva and tiny
hairs to trap ants and other insects. They can dip their tongue into a burrow up to 150 times each minute.
Anteaters have thick, tough skin to protect them against ant bites. Their large and powerful claws can be
used to tear into anthills or termite mounds. They have long gray and black fur with a distinctive stripe on
their shoulder. Their young ride on the mother's back and their stripes align, which forms a type of
camouflage. Although they have poor sight and hearing, their sense of smell is excellent.
Size and Description
Giant anteaters grow to be about six feet long. They are easily identified by their long noses and thick,
strawlike hair. They have long, bushy tails which they wrap around themselves while sleeping. They weigh
between 60 and 145 pounds.
Reproduction and Social Habits
Giant anteaters are able to reproduce about every nine months. They typically give birth to one offspring
at a time after a gestation period of about 190 days. Young are born while the mother is standing and
after birth they immediately climb onto her back.
Giant anteaters are solitary animals and are usually only seen together for a short time during mating
season. Young will stay with their mothers until they are about two years old.
Other Facts
Anteaters are generally able to defend themselves against all but the largest predators. Their biggest
threat comes from humans. They are sometimes hunted but more often are killed by cars or habitat
destruction.
|
|
