Giant anteaters are predominantly solitary, except for mothers and their offspring (7). A single offspring is produced after a gestation period of 190 days (7). They are carried on their mother's back, aligned with the white stripe, so that they are very well camouflaged (2). Young are weaned after two months, although they may continue to be carried on their mother's back until they are nine months old (7). Recently, females have been discovered to occasionally produce a second infant, carrying the newborn on the back whilst accompanied by the older infant on foot (3). There is considerable regional variation in behaviour of giant anteaters. In some areas, they are largely nocturnal, but in other regions they are active mainly during the day (8). They are almost blind, but have a very keen sense of smell (3). The majority of the diet is made up of ants and termites, which are detected by smell (5). Once a termite mound or anthill has been located, the anteater rips it open with its powerful claws and 'drinks' in the prey by creating a vacuum in its throat, sucking the insects in, aided by their long sticky tongues (3). An individual may eat up to 30,000 ants in one day (7). Contrary to popular belief, giant anteaters rarely feed from tall termite mounds, but seem to prefer low mounds (3). Ants and termites are not especially nutritious and to compensate for this, the giant anteater conserves energy by moving around slowly. They allow their body temperatures to fluctuate within limits, and they have the lowest body temperature of any terrestrial mammal, reaching as low as 32 degrees Celsius (3). Anteaters sleep for as much as 16 hours a day out in the open with their tail wrapped around them like a blanket (3).

As their common name suggests, this species is the largest of the living anteaters and is instantly recognised around the world. They are strange-looking animals, with the body roughly divided into three equal regions: the long nose and head, the body and the tail (3). Beneath the skin of the long nose is a bone tube formed by the fusion of the upper and lower jaw (3). The nose houses an impressively long, sticky tongue, which can measure up to 50 centimetres in length (3). They are protected from the bites of soldier ants and termites by their rubbery skin and very long hairs, which can measure up to 45 centimetres in length (3). A black stripe runs from beneath the snout to the mid-torso and is banded by white or cream (5). The front feet bear huge claws and giant anteaters walk on their knuckles with their claws folded up into their palms for protection (5). Male and female anteaters look so alike that females can only be identified when they are accompanied by their offspring (3). The name of the giant anteater in Portugese is 'tamandua-bandeira'; the word tamandua is of Indian origin and means 'insect-eater' and 'bandeira' is a portugese word meaning 'flag'. This name refers to the large tail of the species, which is thought to look like a flag (3).

M. tridactyla has been recorded from Honduras in Central America, south through South America to the Gran Chaco region of Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. Within Central America, the species has disappeared from much of its range, with recent sightings generally confined to highland regions. The giant anteater is considered the most threatened mammal of Central America; it seems to be extinct in Belize and Guatemala, and probably also in Costa Rica. In South America, this species is extinct in Uruguay (Fallabrino and Castiñeira 2006) and in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil (Cherem et al. 2004); it is classified as Critically Endangered in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (Fontana et al. 2003) but will be categorized as Extinct in the next update of this state's Red List (C. Kasper pers. comm. 2009). Its presence in Ecuador west of the Andes needs to be confirmed.

Giant anteaters are found in Central and South America, from southern Belize and Guatemala to northern Argentina.

Biogeographic Regions: neotropical

The range extends from the southern tip of Mexico to Uruguay and northwestern Argentina, although the highest densities are found in South America (5). They are found in all regions of Brazil but are very rare or locally extinct in highly disturbed areas and are commonly found in protected areas (6).

Giant anteaters are quite distinctive morphologically, they are the largest of the anteater species. The snout is long (up to 45 cm in length) and the skull is streamlined with small eyes and ears. The tail is large and bushy and is nearly as long as the body. Head and body length measures 1,000 to 1,200 mm and tail length 650 to 900 mm. Weight ranges from 18 to 39 kg. Giant anteaters have fur that is thick and coarse and longer towards the tail. Their coat is brown with black and white stripes on the shoulders and a crest of hair along the middle of the back. The forelegs are white with black bands at the toes. Their hindfeet have 5 short claws, while their forefeet have 5 claws with the inner 3 being very long and sharp. They walk on the wrists of their forefeet, with these large claws curled out of the way. Giant anteaters have no teeth. The tongue can be extended 610 mm outside of the mouth and has spine-like protrusions.

Range mass: 18 to 39 kg.

Range length: 1 to 1.2 m.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike

Average basal metabolic rate: 14.543 W.

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Terrestrial

Giant anteaters use a variety of habitats, including swamp, forests, and grasslands. They choose secluded, covered areas for sleeping. Giant anteaters can be found in both rural and densely populated areas.

Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland

Inhabits grassland savannas, deciduous woodlands and rainforests (5). In Brazil, it occurs in the cerrado, a large area of woodland and savannah that is one of the world's most important 'hot-spots' for biodiversity (3).

Giant anteaters eat ants, termites, and soft-bodied grubs. Using the long, sharp claws on their forelimbs, they open insect colonies and tree trunks. They then use the tongue to collect the eggs, larvae, and adult insects. The salivary glands secrete sticky saliva during feeding that coats the tongue. They only stay at one ant colony for a short period of time because soldier ants arrive but giant anteaters can consume a few thousand insects in minutes. The tongue is attached to the sternum and moves very quickly, flicking 150 times per minute. They may sometimes eat fruit.

Animal Foods: insects

Plant Foods: fruit

Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore )

Giant anteaters, through their diet, have an enormous impact on local insect communities.

Giant anteaters can use their immense front claws to defend themselves from predators, though their typical response to threat is to run away. Their size makes them invulnerable to all but the largest of predators, jaguars and pumas primarily. They are often killed by humans, either intentionally through hunting or unintentionally through collisions with cars.

Known Predators:

• Jaguars (Panthera onca)
• mountain lions (Puma concolor)

Myrmecophaga tridactyla is prey of:
Panthera onca
Puma concolor

This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.

Myrmecophaga tridactyla preys on:
Insecta

This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.

Most communication occurs between young and their mothers or during fighting. It consists of snorts, sniffs, and hisses, as well as roaring during fights. Sight and hearing are diminished. Smell is highly developed-40 times that of humans.

Communication Channels: tactile ; acoustic ; chemical

Perception Channels: visual ; acoustic

Giant anteaters have been known to live up to 25 years and 10 months in captivity. Their longevity in the wild is unknown.

Range lifespan

Status: captivity: 25 (high) years.

Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 26.0 years.

Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 25.8 years.

Maximum longevity: 31 years (captivity) Observations: One specimen was estimated to be 31 years old when it died in captivity (Richard Weigl 2005).

The mating system of M. tridactyla is not known. Reproductive behavior is primarily observed in captivity. The male stands over the female who lays on her side during copulation.

Gestation is approximately 190 days, after which females give birth to a single young which weighs about 1.3 kg. Females give birth standing up and immediately the young anteater climbs onto her back. Young are born with a full coat of hair and adult-like markings. Breeding occurs year-round in captivity and the wild, though seasonal breeding times have been reported in portions of their range. Inter-birth intervals can be as low as 9 months. Sexual maturity is reached between 2.5 and 4 years. The mammary glands are lateral to the 'armpits' on the chest.

Breeding interval: Giant anteaters can breed as often as every 9 months, though it is often longer.

Breeding season: Giant anteaters may breed year round, or seasonally depending on region.

Average number of offspring: 1.

Average gestation period: 190 days.

Average weaning age: 6 months.

Average time to independence: 24 months.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 2.5 to 4 years.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2.5 to 4 years.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); viviparous

Average birth mass: 1600 g.

Average gestation period: 184 days.

Average number of offspring: 1.

Young are born with a full coat of hair and adult markings and are capable of clinging to their mother at birth. A mother will carry the baby on her back until it is almost half her size, about 6 to 9 months. Young suckle for 2 to 6 months. They become independent after about 2 years, or when the mother becomes pregnant again, which may be sooner.

Parental Investment: precocial ; female parental care

Limbs dig efficiently: echigo mole
 

Echigo moles and other digging animals break the soil surface and move as much earth as possible per stroke with short, powerful limbs and sharp claws.

   
  "Quite different in character are the feet of the diggers, animals that habitually burrow into the earth. The friction drag of moving through the ground is potentially enormous, so the size of the limbs and the area through which they move must be kept to an absolute minimum; but at the same time, great strength is needed. The limbs of animals that lead an almost completely subterranean life, like the mole, are short and thick, and their feet are broad and powerful. Each short stroke of a foot must move as much earth as possible, and the mole's feet are spade-like with widely spaced digits. In addition, the claws of digging animals are usually large, sharp and strong, to do the work of a pickaxe in breaking the soil surface. The aardvark of South Africa (its Afrikaans name, 'earth-pig', refers to its rather pig-like head) is a curious animal that digs for food in termite's nests. Its feet are short and massive with large, almost hoof-like claws on each toe. It is said that one aardvark can dig a hole faster than six men with shovels. Not only does it dig into termite nests to eat the insects, the aardvark digs burrows 4m or more in length in which to hide during the day.

The armadillos of Central and South America are also powerful diggers, able to conceal themselves at amazing speed; they too have short, strong legs with daunting claws. The feet of the giant anteater, another excavator of ant and termite nests, are not massive as those of the aardvark. They are long and curved -- so much so that the anteater is forced to walk on the sides of its feet with an ungainly bow-legged gait. The anteater is a scratch-digger, not a maker of burrows, so its claws do not need to be as large." (Foy and Oxford Scientific Films 1982:179-180)
  Learn more about this functional adaptation.

Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

Justification

History

• 2006
  Near Threatened
  (IUCN 2006)
• 1996
  Vulnerable
• 1994
  Vulnerable
  (Groombridge 1994)
• 1990
  Vulnerable
  (IUCN 1990)
• 1988
  Vulnerable
  (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988)
• 1986
  Vulnerable
  (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1986)
• 1982
  Vulnerable
  (Thornback and Jenkins 1982)

Habitat destruction is the primary threat to giant anteaters. They are listed as Appendix II by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Appendix II is defined as a species not necessarily threatened to extinction but one that should be controlled in trade to avoid overuse. They are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). 'Vulnerable' is defined as an estimated population reduction of 20% in the next 10 years.

CITES: appendix ii

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: vulnerable

Classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List 2007 (1), and listed on Appendix II of CITES (4).

Population

Population Trend

Major Threats

The giant anteater and its habitat are threatened by agricultural encroachment and fires, both natural and started by people (3).

Conservation Actions

Law protects this species in the majority of countries where it is found (9), and it is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which stipulates that any exports require a permit (4). The giant anteater also occurs within some protected areas such as Conservation International's Guayana Shield, one of the largest blocks of undisturbed rainforest in the world (10).

Giant anteaters are increasingly killed in car accidents.

Giant anteaters are hunted for food, fur, and sport. They are also valuable for the criical ecosystem roles they play.

Positive Impacts: body parts are source of valuable material; controls pest population