Among the most curious looking animals in the world are the anteaters. Their long heads and snouts look like tubes, and they have no teeth at all. Their front legs are very strong and armed with heavy, curved claws, which they use to break open the nests of ants and termites. Then, when the insects rush out, they snatch them up with their long, sticky tongues.

Three Species

Anteaters are found in the swamps and forests of Central and South America. There are three species, of which the largest is the giant anteater. The scientific name of the giant anteater is Myrmecophaga tridactyla. Although its body is only about 3 feet (1 meter) long, it measures more than twice that length from the tip of its snout to the end of its long, bushy tail. It weighs about 55 pounds (25 kilograms). Its body is covered with gray hairs, with a band of black across the breast and a white stripe on the shoulders. It spends all its time on the ground, and it may be active both by day and by night. It is not usually a savage animal, but it becomes very fierce if it is cornered. It can do severe damage with the very sharp claws of the forefeet.

The lesser anteater, or tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla), lives in trees. This species is much smaller than the great anteater, measuring only about half the length. It has a long but not a bushy tail, which helps it to climb on tree branches. Active mainly at night, it feeds chiefly on ants nesting in trees.

The two-toed anteater (Cyclops didactylus) is the smallest of the family. It is the size of a squirrel. Because of the color of its fur it is sometimes called the golden anteater. Like the lesser anteater, the two-toed anteater lives in trees and is most active at night.

The Anteater's Relatives

Various other insect-eating animals are sometimes called anteaters, though they really belong to other groups of animals. One of them is the aardvark, or ant bear. Another is the echidna, or spiny anteater, which is related to the platypus. The pangolin, or scaly anteater, is covered with protective scales. Other relatives of the anteater include the sloth, the armadillo, and the numbat, or banded anteater.