Anteaters, as their name suggests, are primarily insect-feeding mammals belonging to the suborder Vermilingua. Along with sloths (suborder Folivora), this group falls under the order Pilosa. There are four extant species of anteaters: the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), the silky or pygmy anteater (Cyclopes didactylus), the northern tamandua (Tamandua mexicana), and the southern tamandua or collared anteater (Tamandua tetradactyla).
They are equipped with long snouts and powerful curved claws on their forefeet, which help in breaking the nests of their prey. Anteaters also possess a thin, long tongue (up to 2 ft), which they rapidly flick to gather large amounts of food.
These animals originated in South America and spread into North America about 3 million years ago with the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. Currently, they are found in the New World, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, as well as a few of the Caribbean islands.
The four species of anteaters vary considerably in size.
| Species | Total Body Length | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Giant Anteater (Largest species) | Around 6.6 ft (2 m) | About 73 lb (33 kg) |
| Northern Tamandua | 40 to 51 in (102 to 130 cm) | 7.1 to 11.9 lb (3.2 to 5.4 kg) |
| Southern Tamandua | 28 to 61 in (71 to 155 cm) | 3.3 to 18.5 lb (1.5 to 8.4 kg) |
| Silky Anteater (Smallest species) | 17 in (43 cm) | 8.3 oz (235 gm) |
These animals are characterized by conspicuously long snouts and a thin, elongated tongue, which is anchored to the sternum by a specialized sternoglossus muscle. This muscle allows rapid protrusion and retraction of the tongue.
They bear enlarged submaxillary glands that produce sticky saliva for trapping the insects they feed on. They have a small mouth, lacking teeth.
Their front feet bear claws on all five digits, but the one on the third digit is the longest and most conspicuous. These claws help anteaters break into termite and ant mounds. There are claws on the hind feet, too, but they are much smaller and less functional compared to the forefeet.
Their bodies are covered by dense fur, and the tail is long (often as long as the body) and prehensile, except in giant anteaters.
Male anteaters are slightly larger, more muscular, and possess wider heads and necks than their female counterparts. However, differentiating sex is difficult since the penis and the testes are located internally in males, and the single pair of mammae in females is present near the armpits.
This species has long, dark brown or black fur covering its body. A triangular black band bordered with white runs diagonally from the shoulders to the chest, extending to the middle of its body.
The forelimbs are mostly white, blotched with black fur at the wrists and above the claws. The tail is as long as the head and body combined, covered with long, coarse fur.
The two medium-sized species, Northern and Southern tamanduas, possess grayish to golden-brown fur, with individual variation in color. A black vest-like patch runs on the back and the belly, joined by two black bands running across the shoulders. Some individuals, however, may lack the patch and instead have a uniform coat color.
In general, tamanduas have a relatively shorter snout than giant anteaters and distinctively long ears. Their tails are prehensile and are sparsely furred on the underside to improve grip on branches.
The smallest of all anteater varieties, this species has soft fur, ranging from gray to golden-brown in color, sometimes flecked with silver on the back. However, individuals of some South American populations, particularly those in the Amazon Basin, have a dark brown stripe running down the middle of their back.
The silky anteater’s face is only slightly elongated relative to its body size, and its snout has a characteristic downward tilt.
These animals are named anteaters because ants form a major part of their diet. Sometimes, mammals from completely different lineages, such as echidnas, numbats, pangolins, and aardvarks, are also informally referred to as anteaters.
The silky anteater belongs to the genus Cyclopes under the family Cyclopedidae, while the other three species, namely the giant anteater and the Northern and Southern tamandua, belong to two genera, Myrmecophaga and Tamandua, under the family Myrmecophagidae.
The two tamandua species derive their name from the Tupi word tamanduá, which translates to ‘anteater’.
Initially, anteaters were thought to be closely related to aardvarks and pangolins owing to their superficial similarities (due to convergent evolution) in forearm and snout anatomy, as well as the length of their tongues. However, recent molecular studies suggest that their closest relatives are the sloths, followed by armadillos[1]. Together with sloths and armadillos, anteaters constitute the superorder Xenarthra.
These mammals originated in South America and migrated to Central and North America during the Great American Interchange (around 3 million years ago, with the formation of the Isthmus of Panama). Some fossil species have been discovered as far north as Sonora in Mexico, suggesting a broader range in the past. However, that range probably shrank due to gradual climatic shifts in their habitats in North America during the Late Pleistocene Epoch[2].
These mammals are native to the New World, ranging from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, including a few of the Caribbean islands.
Anteaters live in a variety of habitats, including rainforests, grasslands, dry tropical forests, and savannas. The giant anteater is primarily terrestrial, living on the ground, while tamanduas are mainly arboreal, and the silky anteater is exclusively arboreal.
Anteaters are insectivorous and typically feed on ants, termites, and occasionally other insects, like beetles. During their raids into the nests of these insects, they also end up consuming insect larvae.
While smaller species, like silky anteaters, target arboreal ants and termites, larger species, such as giant anteaters, typically feed on those found on the ground.
Anteaters break open the mounds of ants and termites using the claws of their forefeet. They then insert their tongue into the nests, lapping in a large number of insects by flicking their tongue very quickly (about 150 times per minute).
These animals spend about a minute at each nest and then move to the next in search of food. The giant anteater is an expert at this, visiting as many as 200 nests per day.
Being primarily solitary, anteaters defend their territories when threatened. They use their hindlimbs and tails as a tripod and swat their enemies with the claws of the forefeet. They may even sit and ride on the backs of their enemies, though such behavior is rare.
If approached by a predator, anteaters often vocalize with sounds like hisses, snorts, and bellows.
They mostly remain solitary (except for mother-offspring pairs) and maintain territories of about 1.0 to 1.5 sq mi (2.6 to 3.9 km2). Except for mother-offspring pairs, these animals are typically solitary. While smaller anteaters, like the tamanduas, maintain territories of about 1.0 to 1.5 sq mi (2.6 to 3.9 km2), larger species, like the giant anteater, tend to have larger home ranges. Some reports suggest that male giant anteaters in the Iberá region of Argentina maintained average home ranges of around 32.5 km², while those in Brazil’s Pantanal region covered around 14.1 km²[3].
The average lifespan of anteaters varies with species.
In tropical regions, anteaters typically breed year-round, peaking during spring to early summer in some areas. However, in subtropical regions, breeding often synchronizes with the monsoon, when insects are abundant.
Anteaters almost always give birth to a single offspring, though rare instances of twins have been recorded in the Southern tamandua. Females usually give birth in sheltered spots, such as dense shrubs, and the newborns cling to their backs shortly after being born.
The gestation period varies across the species, with giant anteaters carrying their young for approximately 180 days, silky anteaters for 120 to 150 days, and tamanduas for 130 to 150 days.
The young silky anteaters and tamanduas typically attain sexual maturity in about 2 years, whereas giant anteaters become sexually mature in 3 to 4 years.
Giant anteaters are preyed upon by large mammalian predators, like jaguars and pumas, while tamanduas are generally attacked by ocelots, crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous), and caimans. The Southern tamandua is particularly susceptible to attacks by jaguars.
In contrast, silky anteaters are targeted by harpy eagles, spectacled owls, and hawk-eagles. A large number of parasitic organisms, like ticks, worms, fleas, and acanthocephalans, live off their bodies. Among ticks, members of the genus Amblyomma particularly parasitize anteaters.
The giant anteater is listed under the Vulnerable (VU) category of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, whereas the other three species belong to Least Concern (LC) due to their large range.
In the last two decades, giant anteater populations have declined by over 30% owing to threats like habitat loss and degradation, hunting, and wildfires.
Anteaters have one of the lowest body temperatures among all mammals, typically ranging from 91 to 97°F (33 to 36°C). They can easily tolerate sharp fluctuations in internal temperature, cooling themselves while resting and warming up while foraging.
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