Giant anteater

"A giant anteater can smell very well. He can smell forty times better than a human."

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Giant anteaterMyrmecophaga tridactyla

  • Habitat

    Central and South America

  • Food

    ants, termites and larvae

  • Lifetime

    15 - 25 years

  • Weight

    18 to 39 pounds

  • Length

    1 to 1.20 meters

  • Number of youngsters

    1

  • Wear time

    6 months

  • IUCN Status

    Vulnerable

  • EEP

    Yes

  • 150

    times per minute, that's how many times the giant anteater can stick out its tongue

  • 6,5

    months a giant anteater is pregnant

  • 25

    years, that's how old a giant anteater gets

    • Sticky Spit

    Giant anteaters have no teeth. They slurp up their food with their long tongue. On the tongue is a sticky layer of saliva. Termites and larvae stick to it well. With their sharp claws, anteaters make a hole in a termite mound and then insert their tongue. The tongue goes in and out of their mouths as many as 150 times a minute.

    Dangerous

    The giant anteater has very large claws. It uses them to break open termite nests. With its claws it can also defend itself well against predators such as the jaguar. When danger threatens, the anteater will prefer to run away. But if that fails, it uses its claws to scare off the predator.

    Want to know more about IUCN status or the EEP? Click here.