Anteaters tear open the nests of ants and termites with their powerful forelimbs, prey on their long tongues, swallow them whole, and grind them with the thickened pylorus of their stomachs. All anteaters appear slow and clumsy when moving on the ground. In two arboreal genera, the fore-paw toe claws are used as grippers, and move along the trunk in an alternate way of advancing with both limbs. The small anteater is completely arboreal and feeds in tall trees; the ring-necked anteater is mainly arboreal and is often active on the ground, and they are all nocturnal animals. The giant anteater is completely ground-dwelling and is mainly a diurnal animal. When in danger, it stands on its hind limbs, uses its tail or back as a support, forms a stable tripod posture, and uses its palms and claws to beat its opponents. . Although the head has no defensive equipment, the powerful forelimbs and very sharp claws are powerful weapons. The large anteater mainly inhabits moist forests and swampy areas, active during the day or night, and is good at swimming; the spotted-necked anteater lives in trees and often goes to the ground; the small anteater lives in trees. The latter two mostly hide in dense forests or in tree holes during the day, and come out to forage at night, often destroying ant nests with their forelimb claws. Eat ants, termites and other insects. The giant anteater's tongue can stick out more than 0.5 meters outside its mouth for licking.

An anteater's tongue can stretch an astonishing 60 centimeters long, and can stretch 150 times a minute. The tongue is covered with small spines and has a lot of mucus, and the ants will not be able to escape if they are stuck. Anteaters are big eaters, eating up to a pound (454 grams) of ants at a time. Beneficial in inhibiting ant infestation. It has a lot of hair on its body and is tan, and its skin is hard and thick, so that it is not afraid of the sharp teeth and claws of the beasts.

An anteater eats only about 140 days of ants in one ant colony, and then leaves for another ant colony after eating. By eating this way, it can ensure the survival of the ants in the ant colony in its territory, so that it can come back to eat another day. Anteaters are mild-mannered and slow-moving, but have an excellent sense of smell. They sniff out the ant nest with their nose, and then use their sharp claws to open the ant nest. They are always careful not to completely destroy the ant nest.

An adult short-nosed anteater and its darker hatchling are licking ants. The short-nosed anteater is an arboreal anteater with long claws and can wrap around branches. on the tail. The anteater walks on knuckles to protect its long claws. This makes them walk like a lame man.

Distribution

Widespread in Central and South America from the southernmost tip of Mexico to Brazil and Paraguay. It is found in forests, grasslands, deciduous forests and rainforests of the American continent.

Reproduction

Anteaters begin mating and litter each spring, with one litter per litter. There are six nipples on the chest, and the normal breastfeeding period is 7 months. The giant anteater is very attentive to the care of its children, and it takes care of the cubs for almost the entire breastfeeding period, for fear of other animals hurting its beloved cubs. Therefore, the giant anteater always carries the young on its back and is inseparable until the mother's next pregnancy.

Population Status

The meat of the giant anteater is edible, but because it is easy to catch, its population has been greatly reduced, and it was listed as a world protected animal in the 1970s. The two-toed anteater and the ring-necked anteater lead a fully or partially arboreal life and are on the brink of extinction as the American primeval forests disappear in large numbers.

Protection level

All listed in the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ver 3.1.

Species taxonomy

Anteateridae (3 genera, 4 species, 26 subspecies)