Giant Anteaters
Giant Anteaters are one of the most amazing creatures on earth. These nearly-threatened animals inhabit the tropical Amazonian jungle but also like grasslands. They are huge and can reach up to eight feet long including a four-foot long tail. They are covered with long straw-like fur reaching up to 40 centimeters long on its tail! Although they are eight feet long, they weigh only from 65 to 140 pounds. Another amazing fact is that Giant Anteaters’ tongues can be up to two feet long!
Giant anteaters feed mainly on ants and termites and they are able to eat up to 30,000 of them each day. Yum!!! Giant Anteaters can eat so many insects so fast because they can stick out and pull back in their two-foot tongue up to 150 times a minute! That is a lot more times than any person could ever do. Giant Anteaters are one of the few mammals that don’t have any teeth, so they don’t have much of a choice food-wise. They also have a good sense of smell (ten times better than humans) to help find ants and termites.
Giant Anteaters are usually diurnal, but if they live near a human settlement, they are nocturnal to shy away from people. Even though the Greek name for Giant Anteaters (myrmecophaga tridactyla) means three-fingered anteaters, Giant Anteaters really have five fingers.
The Giant Anteaters’ technique to fight off predators is really interesting. They are capable of scaring off or even killing Pumas, Jaguars, and other large cats. The Giant Anteater does this by standing up on its hind legs, supported by its tail, and swiping with sharp claws at the opponent. That would be really interesting to watch! They usually succeed, but sometimes the cats win and earn a feast.
On this trip, so far we haven’t seen any Giant Anteaters. I hope to see one of these amazing animals in Brazil.