Anteater

Anteater, common name for any of four insect-eating mammals  of Mexico, Central America, and South America, having a long head with a long, tubular mouth and long tongue, but no teeth. The giant anteater, weighing up to 39 kg (86 lb), is the largest species of anteater. It lives in forests and swampy areas and on open plains and is mainly diurnal in areas where there are few people, and is nocturnal in densely populated areas. The coarse coat is gray, with a white-bordered black stripe on each shoulder, and the tail is long and bushy. The front claws, used to tear open termite mounds and for defense, are so long that they are tucked under, and the animal walks on its knuckles. The long tongue flicks rapidly in and out of the small mouth opening, scooping up termites or other insects on its sticky surface.

The pygmy anteater is the smallest species of anteater, ranging from 32 to 52 cm (13 to 20 in). It is covered with golden-brown fur. Its jaws curve to form a short tube, and it eats termites and other insects. Mainly arboreal, it has a prehensile tail. The two species of lesser anteaters are the size of a large domestic cat and have short, coarse, tan to blackish hair, usually with a black band around body and neck. They also live in trees but frequently come down to the ground. Both the pygmy and the lesser anteaters are predominantly nocturnal and walk on the sides of their front feet because of the length of their claws.

All three species are characterized by solitary habits and a low reproductive rate. The female carries the single young on her back during its growth; in the case of the giant anteater, this can last almost one year. Other, unrelated mammals called anteaters are the aardvark, echidna, pangolin, and numbat, or banded anteater, a marsupial.

Scientific classification: Anteaters make up the family Myrmecophagidae. The giant anteater is classified as Myrmecophaga tridactyla, the pygmy anteater as Cyclopes didactylus, and the lesser anteaters as Tamandua tetradactyla and Tamandua mexicana.