It is covered in grayish brown fur with white front legs, black stripes running from its chest to its back, and a bushy tail. Giant anteaters can be found throughout South and Central America, though their numbers have diminished considerably from the latter. To thrive, they need to be able to move throughout large areas with patches of forest. They can often be found in tropical and dry forests, savannas, and open grasslands, where the ants upon which they feed are abundant.
The giant anteater uses its sharp claws to tear an opening into an anthill and put its long snout, sticky saliva, and efficient tongue to work. But it has to eat quickly, flicking its tongue up to times per minute.
Ants fight back with painful stings, so an anteater may spend only a minute feasting on each mound. Giant anteaters never destroy a nest, preferring to return and feed again in the future.
These animals find their quarry not by sight—theirs is poor—but by their sense of smell, which is 40 times more powerful than that of a human. Giant anteaters are generally solitary animals. Females have a single offspring once a year, which can sometimes be seen riding on its mother's back. Anteaters are not aggressive, but they can be fierce. A cornered anteater will rear up on its hind legs, using its tail for balance, and lash out with dangerous claws. The giant anteater's claws are some four inches long, and the animal can fight off even a puma or jaguar.
Listed as a vulnerable species, they are considered extinct in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Uruguay. Not only do these fires affect the habitat, but also the animals—giant anteaters may suffer significant burns. Other threats include hunting—both for food and because some humans consider giant anteaters pests—and their low reproductive rate. Giant anteaters are also frequently killed by road traffic in the Brazilian Cerrado biome, where a vast network of roads has disrupted their habitat.
In Brazil, burning sugar cane is slowly being phased out in some parts of the country, while conservationists—including National Geographic Photo Ark EDGE Fellow Vinicius Alberici — are working in the Cerrado Biome to collect data on how roadways affect giant anteaters in hopes to set new protections. All rights reserved. Animals Photo Ark. One of the closest relatives to the giant anteater is the pygmy sloth, who both shared a common ancestor over 55 million years ago! Giant anteaters have been recorded from Central America through to Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina, although in its Central American range it is greatly reduced and confined to highland regions.
They tend to be found in tropical moist forest, dry forest, savannas and open grasslands. Giant anteaters are quite distinctive looking — their long snouts contain a sticky tongue which can extend up to 50cm! They have long claws for opening up termite and ant nests which are so large that they appear to walk on their wrists. They also have a bushy tail which they use as a sunshade.
Giant anteaters are well adapted to feast on their favourite foods — they are poorly sighted but use their keen sense of smell to detect ant and termite nests and then their sharp claws to rip them open. It is also important to mention the other causes that threaten the survival of this species :. The anteater is a harmless animal.
It is important to mention this, because, owing to the characteristics of their preferred habitats, it is not impossible to encounter them at some point. However, it is hugely important not to interfere with the giant anteater. If it feels threatened it will defend itself with its powerful claws and all its weight, therefore resulting in a very dangerous animal.
If you want to read similar articles to Where Do Anteaters Live? Share on:. Where Do Anteaters Live? By Josie F. Turner , Journalist specialized in Animal Welfare. Updated: October 19,
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