By Josie
January 20th, 2023
The Giant Anteater is one of four species that make up the family of Myrmecophagidae.
As the name implies, the Giant Anteater is the largest species within this family.
Scientific name: Myrmecophaga tridactyla Family: Myrmecophagidae Diet: insectivore Habitat: Grasslands, savannah, tropical- and dry forests Distribution: South America (except Uruguay, El Salvador & Guatemala) Population: 5,000 individuals Level of Endangerment: Vulnerable
Their front feet are equipped with sharp claws, thereby forcing them to walk on their knuckles.
Their snout holds a 2 ft long tongue used for slurping their namesake; ants.
A total body length measuring 5 ft 11 in – 7 ft 2 in makes them well deserving of their name as “giant” anteaters.
Their claws can grow as long as four inches.
Despite not being aggressive by nature, there is documentation of Giant Anteaters killing humans with their sharp claws.
Giant Anteater’s are neither agile nor nimble, but if a situation calls for it they may reach speeds of 30 mph.
Surprisingly, they are also talented swimmers and thoroughly enjoy a dip.
Initially, it was believed that the species only consisted of females which reproduced by means of their snouts.
During the colonization of the South Americas, the Spanish brought Giant Anteaters to Europe for display purposes
They have an extremely low body temperature for a mammal.
Normally mammals have a body temperature of 97°F, whereas the Giant Anteater’s temperature measures 91°F.
On average they plunge into about 200 ant mounds per day in order to consume their required daily dosage of 30,000 ants.
By means of sticky saliva and flicking their tongue at a rate of 160 times/minute they retrieve large amounts of ants.
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