Like all anteaters, this tamandua (tamandua mexicana) or vested anteater has no teeth. It uses the long sticky tongue in its tube-like snout to entrap insects in the narrow fissures of termite or ant nests. Its forepaws have large hooked claws to rip open ants nests or for defense, while the prehensile tail allows it to climb easily. These solitary animals can be seen foraging in the canopy or on the ground, often in thick tangled vegetation.
Anteaters are slow-moving mammals with long snouts and claws and no teeth. They usually live alone rather than in groups and are most commonly found in the forests of South America. An anteater uses its powerful claws to rip open the nests of ants and termites. Then, it uses its long snout to nuzzle around in search of these insects, which are easily trapped on the anteater's long, sticky tongue. One anteater can eat about 30,000 ants and termites in a day.
The giant anteater is the largest kind of anteater. It can grow to 2 feet (0.6 meter) in height and 6 feet (1.8 meters)
from head to tail. The much smaller silky anteater and tamandua live in trees. There are several anteater-like
mammals (including the African aardvark) that are often called anteaters but do not belong to the anteater family.
Go Back to Animals in the Rainforest