Anteater

An anteater is a mammal of the family Myrmecophagidae and the suborder Vermilingua. Anteaters live in South America and Central America.

Anteater
Temporal range: Early Miocene-present
Giant anteater
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Pilosa
Suborder: Vermilingua
Illiger, 1811
Families

Cyclopedidae
Myrmecophagidae

Anteaters eat ants and termites. They have long, sharp claws and a long, sticky tongue. The tongue can be up to 60 cm long, as long as a person's arm. The anteater opens an ant nest with its claws. Then it licks up the ants with its tongue.

Large anteaters that move on the ground knuckle-walk, bending their front toes under when they move the way gorillas do. Small anteaters that live in trees do not do this.[1]

  • A Giant Anteater.
    A Giant Anteater.
  • Termites
    Termites
  • Termite mound
    Termite mound
  • Tree Anteater
    Tree Anteater
  • Giant Anteater
    Giant Anteater

References
Wikispecies has information on: Myrmecophagidae.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Myrmecophagidae.
  1. Caley M Orr (2005). "Knuckle-walking Anteater: A Convergence Test of Adaptation for Purported Knuckle-Walking Features of African Hominidae". Am J Phys Anthropol. 128 (3): 639–58. doi:10.1002/ajpa.20192. PMID 15861420. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
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