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Anteaters are toothless mammals that feed primarily
on ants and termites.
Anteaters Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Pilosa
SubOrder: Vermilingua
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Other Names: antbear, ant bear, echidna,
myrmecobius fasciatus, new world Anteater, numbat,
orycteropus afer,
Species: Anteaters that exist today are
divided into three genera's that include: Giant
Anteater, the Silky Anteater, and the Northern
and Southern Tamandua anteaters.
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AnteaterSpecies Include:
Pygmy Anteater (aka
Silky Anteater) - Cyclopes Didactylus
Giant Anteater - Myrmecophaga
Tridactyla
Lesser Anteaters - Tamandua
Tetradactyla and Tamandua Mexicana
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Anteaterin Foreign Languages:
Armenian: mrjnaker
Cherokee: dosvdali digayesgi
Mandarin: shíyishòu
Croatian: mravojed
Czech: mravenecník
Danish: myresluger
Dutch: miereneter
Estonian: sipelgaõgija
Finnish: muurahaiskarhu
French: fourmilier
German: Ameisenbär
Greek: myrmigkofágos
Hungarian: hangyász
Icelandic: mauraæta'
Italian: formichiere
Japanese: arikui
Navajo: wóláchíí' yildeelí
Norwegian: maursluker
Polish: mrówkojad
Portuguese: tamanduá
Romanian: furnicar
Russian: murav'jéd
Spanish: oso hormiguero
Swahili: kiharara / loma
Turkish: karincayiyen
Ukrainian: muraxojíd
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Size: The smallest Anteaterspecies is the Silky
Anteater, measuring 14-18 inches in length and weighing
approximately 14 oz. The largest Anteaterspecies is
the Giant Anteaterwhich is 40-48 inches long (with
a tail length of 28-35 inches)and weighs 60-140 lbs.
Male anteaters are heavier than their female counterparts.
Habitat: Anteaters are found in South and Central
America, their habitat includes dry tropical forests,
rain forests, grasslands, and savannas.
Description: .Anteaters have long, sticky tongue
and powerful claws. They have a tube-shaped mouth with
lips but no teeth and a prehensile tail. Anteaters are
covered with dense, long fur protects that protects
them from insect attacks. With the exception of the
Giant Anteaterall species of anteaters have a prehensile
tail. Anteaters have small rounded external ears are
small eyes.
Senses: Anteaters are thought to have good hearing,
poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell.
Behavior: Anteaters protect a 1 to 1.5 square
miles territory that they call home.
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Diet: Anteaters use large, curved front
claws to tear open ant and termite mounds. Anteaters
will also eat beetle larvae and bees.
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Did You Know?
Anteaters have the lowest body temperature
of any mammal. Anteaters can tolerate
greater fluctuations in body temperature
than most mammals.
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Gestation: Giant anteaters carry their young
for approximately 190 days. The gestation length may
vary for other species of anteaters.
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Life Span: The puma and the jaguar are
natural predators of the Anteater. The life span
of the Anteatervaries by species.
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Did You Know?
The Spiny Anteater, Banded Anteater,
Cape Anteaterand Scaly Anteaterare
not considered "true anteaters".
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Social Structure: Adult anteaters are normally
solitary.
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