Giant Anteater

• It eats up to 30,000 ants and termites a day with a tongue that extends up to 61 cm.
• It carries its pup on its back for about a year, the youngster's stripes lining up with its own as camouflage.
• It never destroys a nest completely, so that it can come back and feed from the same colony.
• anatomíaIt has no teeth, and its tongue — up to 60 cm long — flicks in and out of a nest as often as 150 times a minute.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)

Habitat & environment

Tropical forest, savanna and grassland of Central and South America

Birth weight

1.3-1.6 kg at birth, fully furred and already in the adult pattern

Size at birth

1.3-1.6 kg at birth

Sexual maturity

2.5-4 years

Gestation / incubation

171-190 days (~6 months), possibly with delayed implantation

Litter / clutch size

1 pup per birth, carried on its mother's back for up to a year

Lifespan in captivity

Documented record of up to 31 years

Sources consulted: Encyclopedia of Life; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Wikipedia (Giant anteater); PMC (threats conservation Cerrado study); Animal Diversity Web; Zoo Thailand; SeaWorld/United Parks; Cleveland Metroparks; PMC (fecal hormone delayed implantation study)