Escudo de la República de Colombia Escudo de la República de Colombia
Panel de Accesibilidad

✎ Juan Pablo Rodríguez Malaver

✎ Juan Pablo Rodríguez Malaver

✎ Camilo Alméciga

Giant Anteater
Myrmecophaga tridactylaOrinoquia region

  • Generalities
  • Morpho-functionality
  • Lifecycle
  • Distribution

RECORRIDO VIRTUAL POR LA BIODIVERSIDAD DE COLOMBIA
Museo de Historia Natural
Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Giant Anteater
Myrmecophaga tridactyla

These large mammals are very easy to recognize by their elongated snout, narrowed eyes, and ears, and the long and bushy tail, almost as long as the rest of the body. Their main food consists of ants and termites hunted in their nests, which they reach easily thanks to their claws and specialized tongue. They have both diurnal and nocturnal habits that can vary depending on the weather.

Conservation status

Extinct

Extinct in the Wild

Critically Endangered

Endangered

Vulnerable

Near Threatened

Least Concern

Not Evaluated

Data Deficient

Morpho-functionality

Head

Its snout and skull are elongated, which favors access to termite mounds and anthills.

Claws

Because three of the claws on its front legs are very large, the anthill leans on its wrists to walk.

Teeth

It has no teeth, it uses a series of tiny protrusions that look like thorns in its tongue to catch the insects, then crush them against its palate.

Lifecycle

Its gestation lasts approximately 190 days, the delivery is carried out standing up and a single calf is born weighing around 1.3 kg and with a coat similar to that of adults; immediately after birth climbs onto its mother's back. Birth intervals can be as long as nine months or more. The mother holds the cub until it reaches half its size, around six to nine months, they are suckled until six months of age. The calf becomes independent after two years or earlier if the mother becomes pregnant again. Sexual maturity is reached between 2.5 and 4 years. In captivity, the Giant Anthill can live for 25 years.

Giant Anteater

Distribution

They are distributed in Central and South America, starting from the south of Guatemala and Belize to the north of Argentina, so they can be seen in a variety of habitats including swamps, forests, savannas and grasslands. They are seen in rural areas but also in areas densely populated by humans.

Distribution area