Anteater

	Description
	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 huge and thick and is nearly as long as the body.
	Head and body length measures 1,000 to 1,200 mm.
	Tail length is 650 to 900 mm.
	Weight ranges from 18 to 39 kilograms. Giant anteaters have fur that is thick and coarse and longer towards the tail.
	Their fur 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 big claws curled out of the way.
	Giant anteaters have don’t have any teeth.
	The tongue can be extended 610 mm outside of the mouth and has spine-like extension

	Reproduction
	Behavior in reproduction is primarily observed in captivity.
	The male stands over the female who lays on her side during sexual interaction.
	Gestation is approximately 190 days
	Females give birth to a single young which weighs about 1.3 kg.
	Females give birth standing up and immediately the youngsters climbs onto her back.
	Young are born with a full coat of hair and adult-like markings.
	Breeding occurs year-round in captivity and in 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.
	Young are born with a full coat of hair and adult markings. They are capable of clinging to their mother at birth.
	A mother will carry the baby on her back until it is almost 1/2 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.

Behavior

They are usually solitary, except for mother-young pairs, only coming together for brief periods for courtship and agonistic encounters.

They may have large, defined home ranges up to 9,000 ha in area, but they also wander extensively.

When giant anteaters encounter each other in the wild they often simply ignore each other or run away.

Usually diurnal, giant anteaters will become nocturnal in areas of high human density of different types of weather.

They are native but are good swimmers as well.

They don't often climb in the wild, they are reported to be skilled at climbing out of enclosures in captivity.

Sleeping occurs in abandoned burrows, dense vegetation, or depressions in the ground.

Although they have the ability to dig well.

They do not build burrows.

When fights occur individuals rear into a bipedal stance using the tail to balance and the forelimbs to fight.

They shuffle while walking and move slowly but are capable of running quickly if necessary.

Their weight is born on the knuckles and wrist to protect the claws.

Food Habits

	They 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 take away 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.
	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 fruits.