Anteater tongue. Anteater - photos, types, description. Description of the large anteater

Nature has created many amazing animals, but the one that will be discussed in the article is at the top of this list. The giant three-toed anteater, the photo of which is in front of you, is listed in the IUCN Red List.

This is a large animal with a narrow, tube-like muzzle, a long tongue and a luxurious thick fur coat. His lifestyle in natural environment as amazing as his appearance.

Giant anteater: photo, description

As mentioned earlier, the appearance of the three-toed representative of the fauna is very unusual. Giant anteater - largest predator South America. Its body length reaches 1.30 m and weighs 40 kg. A meter long fluffy tail is added to the length. The limbs do not allow the predator to move quickly, but they are armed with powerful claws (1-7 cm).

The head size is small, but the muzzle is extremely elongated (25-30% of body length) and narrow. The beast practically cannot open its mouth due to the fact that the jaws are fused together. At the end of the snout-tube there are nostrils and a tiny mouth. The anteater has no teeth. The tongue, 55-60 cm long, has powerful muscles.

The fur of the three-toed beauty is thick, hard and unusually elastic. The muzzle is practically without hair; towards the body it becomes longer and longer, turning into a voluminous mane located along the ridge. There are the same lush frills on the paws.

The tail is the pride of the anteater! It is covered with long hair (60 cm). This beauty hangs down to the ground. An animal can easily cover itself with such a tail, like a warm blanket.

Most often, the fur color of the giant anteater is silver, with gray tint, sometimes cocoa color is found. A wide black stripe runs diagonally across the entire body, from the chest to the sacrum. The lower part of the tail, underbelly and head is black-brown in color.

Habitat

The giant anteater is native to South America. For the last millions of years, representatives of this species live in sparse forests and shrubby savanna. The “home” of these animals is considered to be the territory from the Gran Chaco in Argentina to Costa Rica in Central America.

Wild Lifestyle

The anteater animal is quite peaceful, the main thing is not to anger or threaten it. All day long, all he does is walk around in search of anthills and termite mounds to feast on insects. Other predators try to avoid this clumsy goosebump lover. He does not run away from danger, but turns to the enemy, stands on his hind legs and embraces him in a “deadly embrace,” launching his sharp, huge claws into his body. The anteater never attacks first.

Anteaters cannot be called homebodies, and they don’t even have a home. Throughout their lives, they wander, moving from place to place, and do not develop their own lair. They prefer to live in open and semi-open areas.

The large anteater is a terrestrial animal; climbing trees is not in its habits and capabilities. IN daytime these predators like to sleep, relax in a secluded place, and are active at night. The anteater cannot walk quickly, much less run - its claws interfere with it. In order to somehow move, the animal bends them over.

What does an anteater eat?

The giant anteater mainly feeds on ants, this is immediately clear from the name of the animal. The menu of this amazing predator includes caterpillars, termites, millipedes, woodlice, and insect larvae. If the favorite food could not be obtained, the animal will happily enjoy the berries.

Watch the anteater eat near ant heap, very funny. First, he makes a hole in the insects' house with his claws. Then he sticks a thin, long, sticky tongue into it. The animal uses it to penetrate all the nooks and crannies of the anthill, where hundreds of insects stick to the tongue.

The interesting thing is that in captivity these animals easily adapt to a more varied diet. They eat fruits, meat, boiled eggs and even milk with appetite. Just before feeding, it is necessary to chop the food and grind the meat into minced meat, because the anteater has a very small mouth. It simply won’t push large pieces into it.

Mating season

The giant anteater is one of the animals that roam alone. Couples, of course, meet, but not a male with a female, but a mother who raises her cub. Only when it comes mating season, which occurs annually in the spring and fall, anteaters meet to conceive offspring.

Having fulfilled his duty by impregnating the female, the male proudly retires, returning to his lonely life as an eternal wanderer. The female will have to bear the baby for about six months and then take care of it herself.

Caring for offspring

Anteaters reproduce very slowly, because there is only one small cub in one litter. It is born covered with fur, the weight of the newborn cub is about 1.4-1.8 kg. Maternal instinct The female is extremely strong: she devotes her entire life to her offspring. Not having had time to raise one cub, the female is already caring for another.

When a baby anteater is born, it almost immediately settles on its mother’s back. From that moment on, the cub travels with her in this way. When you look at this small family, you don’t even immediately notice that the cub is nestled on the female’s back, its fur blends so closely with the mother’s fur.

At the age of one month, the small furry predator is able to move independently. He no longer rides on his mother's back, but literally follows on her heels. This continues until the young anteater is two years old. Only at this age does the animal become independent and can do without the care of its mother.

Giant anteater: interesting facts

Specialists studying the world of anteaters managed to learn many interesting facts about these animals:

A predator's tongue works with unique speed. In a minute, the giant anteater throws out and retracts it about 150-160 times.
. The length of the tongue is about 60 cm, which has no analogues among land inhabitants.
. During the day, an anteater can eat about 30,000 insects.
. The muscles that control the tongue are attached to the sternum.
. The anteater's teeth are located in its stomach, which is extremely muscular. On its walls there is a hard, keratinized lining.
. Insects enter the animal's stomach alive, and the keratinized spines on the palate and folds on the cheeks prevent them from getting back out.

Anteater and man

The natives of South America have always hunted giant anteaters for meat. But the number of these animals was inexorably declining not only for this reason. The fact is that they depend on specific sources of their usual food. Their natural habitats were destroyed, and as a result of such human activities, the appearance of these amazing predators was on the verge of extinction.

Meet a giant anteater in wildlife It's getting more and more difficult. It is sad to note the fact that their numbers in zoos are also insignificant, despite the fact that in captivity these predators take root well. Only by creating favorable conditions for the survival of anteaters will people be able to contribute to the fact that such unusual creatures nature will again restore their numbers, and they will not be in danger of extinction.

Anteaters are perhaps one of the most amazing mammals on our planet, thanks to their more than unusual appearance, they have gained wide fame among lovers of exotic animals. And the first person who had his own pet anteater was the great and eccentric artist Salvador Dali; it is quite possible that the appearance of this animal inspired him to paint his unusual paintings. As for anteaters, they belong to the order of edentates, their distant relatives are armadillos and (although they are not at all similar in appearance), there are three species of anteaters themselves, in natural conditions they live exclusively on the American continent, but read more about all this further.

Anteater - description, structure. What does an anteater look like?

The sizes of anteaters vary depending on the species, so the largest giant anteater reaches two meters in length, and what is interesting is that half of its size is in the tail. Its weight is approximately 30-35 kg.

The smallest dwarf anteater is only 16-20 cm in length and weighs no more than 400 grams.

The anteater's head is small, but very elongated, and its length can be 30% of the length of its body. The anteater's jaws are practically fused together, so it is impossible for him to open his mouth wide, however, he does not need to do this. Like having teeth. Yes, anteaters literally have no teeth at all, but the lack of teeth is more than compensated for by the anteater’s long and muscular tongue, which stretches along the entire length of their muzzle and is a real source of pride for this animal. The length of the giant anteater's tongue reaches 60 cm, this is the longest tongue among all living creatures living on Earth.

The eyes and ears of anteaters are not large, but their paws are strong, muscular, and also armed with long and curved claws. These very claws are the only detail of their appearance that reminds of their relationship with sloths and armadillos. Anteaters also have a well-developed charm and can smell potential prey.

Also, anteaters are the owners of rather long and, moreover, muscular tails, which have useful application– with their help, anteaters can move through trees.

The giant anteater has long fur, especially on its tail, which gives it a broom-like appearance. But in other species of anteaters, the fur, on the contrary, is short and stiff.

Where does the anteater live?

Like their other relatives from the order of edentates, anteaters live exclusively in Central and South America, especially many of them live in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. The northern border of their habitat lies in Mexico. Anteaters are heat-loving animals and, accordingly, live exclusively in places with warm climate. They like to settle in forests (all anteaters, with the exception of the giant one, easily climb trees) and grassy plains, where many insects live - their potential food.

What does an anteater eat?

As you can guess from the name of this animal, the favorite food of anteaters is, of course, ants, as well as termites. But they are not averse to feasting on other insects, but only small ones, but there is no need to be afraid of large anteater insects, they simply do not eat them. The point here is that anteaters have no teeth; as a result, they swallow their prey whole, and in their stomach it is digested by gastric juice. And since the food of anteaters is small, and the size, on the contrary, is not so small to feed themselves, they devote all their time to searching for something to eat. Like living vacuum cleaners, they roam the jungle, constantly sniffing out and sucking in everything edible. If on the way of an anteater he suddenly encounters an anthill or a termite mound, then a real holiday and a feast for the whole world begins for him (only for ants or termites such a meeting turns into a real disaster).

In the process of absorbing food, the anteater's tongue moves at an incredible speed - up to 160 times per minute. Prey sticks to it thanks to sticky saliva.

Enemies of anteaters

However, the anteaters themselves, in turn, can also become prey for others. dangerous predators, especially jaguars, and large boa constrictors. True, to protect against the latter, anteaters have a significant argument - muscular paws with claws. In case of danger, the anteater falls on its back and begins to swing all four paws in all directions. No matter how funny and clumsy such a spectacle may look, in such a position the anteater can inflict serious wounds on its potential offender.

Types of anteaters, photos and names

As we wrote at the beginning, there are three types of anteaters in nature, and further we will write about each of them.

The largest representative of the anteater family, living in South and Central America and also the only one of this family, unable due to big size climb trees. Leads a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle; when walking, it characteristically bends its legs, resting on the back of the forelimbs. A means of protection against predators are sharp claws on powerful paws.

Pygmy anteater

On the contrary, the smallest anteater living in tropical forests South America. The pygmy anteater can climb trees very well; moreover, trees are a safe refuge for it from predators. Like other anteaters, it feeds on small insects, ants, termites, and is nocturnal.

Tamandua anteater

He is also a four-toed anteater, lives in Central America, and there are also especially many of them in southern Mexico. It is relatively small in size, larger than the dwarf anteater, but much smaller than the giant one, its body length is up to 88 cm, weight - 4-5 kg. Just like its dwarf relative, tamandua climbs trees well; according to the observations of Venezuelan zoologists, it spends from 13 to 64% of its life in trees. He has poor eyesight, but has excellent charm, and uses his sense of smell to find his favorite prey, ants and termites.

Interesting fact: the Amazon Indians long ago domesticated the tamandua anteaters, which have been used since ancient times to fight ants and termites in their homes.

How long do anteaters live?

The average lifespan of anteaters is 15 years.

How do anteaters reproduce?

Anteaters mate twice a year: in spring and autumn. Pregnancy lasts from three months to six months, depending on the species, after which a completely naked little anteater is born, which, however, is already able to independently climb onto its mother’s back.

Interesting fact: anteater dads also take an active part in raising their babies, carrying them on their backs together with their mother.

Up to a month of life, little anteaters move exclusively on the backs of their parents and only then begin to take their first independent steps.

Feeding baby anteaters may not seem like a very pleasant sight to us; mom and dad anteaters regurgitate a special mass of semi-digested insects, which serves as food for the growing little anteaters.

• A typical voracious anteater can eat up to 30 thousand ants or termites in a day.
• Anteaters are not herd animals; they prefer to lead a solitary lifestyle, at most a family one. However, when in captivity they can play well with each other.
• Anteaters have a peaceful nature, which makes them amenable to domestication; they can get along well with more common pets: dogs, and even love to play with children. True, keeping an anteater at home is not so easy, because they cannot stand the cold at all; the favorable temperature for them should be no lower than 24-26 C.
• Anteaters, among other things, are good swimmers and can easily swim across tropical bodies of water.

Anteater, video

And in conclusion, for you, a funny video about anteaters, called “10 reasons to get an anteater.”

This article is available at English language — .

Our huge planet certainly does not belong to just one to the human species. It is inhabited by colorful, magnificent flowers and trees, and impresses with the diversity of marine and river inhabitants, large and small birds. And it always surprises me with how extraordinary the animal world is. Among the most unique and unusual animals is the anteater.

Description of appearance

This animal is a mammal and belongs to the order of edentates. This is exactly the kind of dry description about him that can be found in some encyclopedia. But in reality it is an incredibly interesting animal, and the perception ordinary person I haven't quite gotten used to it yet. The anteater mainly lives in forest areas and shrouds of America - its central and southern parts.

The anteater is most active at night, and during the day it prefers to sleep, covered with its own tail and curled up into a cozy ball. Small animals usually climb high into trees to avoid predators, while large and gigantic animals easily lie down for the night right on the surface of the earth. They do not worry about meeting their enemies, since for protection the large anteater has muscular and strong paws up to ten centimeters long, which end in sharp claws.

Externally, the animal looks very specific and unique. Strong limbs, small, rather elongated head, small eyes and ears. But the muzzle of this animal is elongated, pointed, at the end of which there is a tiny mouth in which there are no teeth.

Despite the fact that this animal has no teeth, it naturally has a strong and elongated tongue, which longer than that the same organ in a giraffe and even an elephant. The width of the anteater's tongue does not exceed one centimeter, and the length reaches 60 cm. In addition, due to the glands that secrete saliva, the tongue is wetted and becomes extremely tenacious and sticky.

It is noteworthy that this strong organ can move at extraordinary speed - the anteater can move it up to 150 times within a minute. The palate of this animal is covered with horny fine bristles, which allows it to easily scrape small insects stuck to it from its tongue.

The anteater has a very muscular stomach; it processes the food it receives with the help of sand and tiny pebbles. The animal deliberately swallows such a specific mixture. The anteater's diet includes mainly termites and ants. However, the anteater is not a picky animal. If he fails to find an anthill, he will calmly feed on small insects, worms, and sometimes ordinary berries.

This species is divided into large (or giant) anteater, whose body length can exceed 120 cm, medium - 70 cm, and dwarf - no more than 55 cm.

This animal is the largest among the representatives of this species. Just look at its tail alone, which is more than one meter long. The animal's forelimbs have four fingers, on which frighteningly huge claws are located. It is the claws that give such a characteristic gait to this animal - it is forced to tuck them in when stepping on its paw, and the anteater rests on the outer part of its wrist when stepping.

Thus, the anteater can run quite poorly. Rather, this beast will fearlessly enter into battle with the enemy rather than take flight. In order to scare the predator that has attacked it, the anteater takes a “fighting” stance - it rises on its hind limbs and raises its front paws in an intimidating manner. With his claws he can cause a lot of problems to his enemies.

He has a rather hard coat; the fur varies in length on different parts of his body. It is quite short in the neck and head area, the body is covered with hair. middle length, and on the tail it is as long as possible - up to 40-50 cm. The habitat of the large anteater is only in the south of America. He prefers to choose places to live that are remote from human settlements. There he can actively conduct life activities both day and night. If an animal has to find a home not far from people, then it leaves its shelter only at night.

Using its massive paws topped with claws, the animal can easily stir up and break through anthills and disturb termite mounds. For such anteaters, the mating season occurs in the spring and autumn. After mating, the female gives birth to one baby, whose weight is approximately one and a half kilograms. The gestation period lasts up to six months, but the anteater becomes independent by the age of a couple of years. Until this age, he lives with his mother.

Medium-sized anteater (tamandua)

This is a special genus of such animals because they have five fingers on their hind limbs. Mainly, this anteater lives on the trunks and branches of trees, because even with its tail, its length can barely reach one meter.

Despite external resemblance with its giant brother, the tamandua is half its size. The main difference between them is the dimensions and tail. The average anteater has a fairly thick and powerful tail, which helps it move easily and freely through the trees.

The tamandua, which lives in the southeast, usually has yellow-white fur, the fur on the back is black, the muzzle is also black, and there are rings around the eyes. Its cubs, however, only acquire the color of a mature individual only by the age of two, and until this moment they are all covered with yellow-white fur.

Representatives of this species, which live in the northwestern part, are, on the contrary, uniformly colored - dark brown, off-white or completely black.

This animal prefers to inhabit the same areas where the giant anteater lives, but in general its habitat is slightly wider, reaching the territory of Peru. Usually lives in forest areas, on small edges or thickets of bushes. It can roost overnight not only on the surface of the ground, but also on tree trunks.

Before going to bed, the anteater grabs a chosen strong branch with its tail, then curls up into a ball and covers its muzzle with its large paws. For food, the tamandua usually gets ants for itself, in particular those that live in trees. It is noteworthy that at a moment of strong anxiety and excitement, this animal begins to emit an extremely specific and bad smell.

Silk anteater (dwarf)

This species of anteater is completely different from its larger counterpart. Its body size hardly reaches 40 centimeters, and this includes the tail. This animal also has an elongated muzzle and a powerful, strong tail, which allows it to live in trees without practically descending to the surface of the earth. The animal's coat has a golden hue and is silky to the touch, which is what formed the basis for the name of the subspecies.

Despite its compact size, this animal is not fearful and prefers to fight its enemies, meeting them with a warlike stance. To attack and strike, the anteater uses its powerful paws with sharp claws. Despite this, it has quite a lot of competitors in the natural environment who are not averse to feasting on it, so the anteater prefers to be active at night and practically does not descend to the surface of the earth.

In these animals, the male and female come together only during the mating season, when they begin to mate and then raise the offspring produced. After the baby is born and spends the first days living in a hollow tree, it sits on the back of a male or female.

Both parents treat their baby with equal attention, sensitivity and care.

Features of the numbat or marsupial anteater

Also, the so-called marsupial anteater deserves special attention. This extraordinary animal belongs to the order of marsupial predators. The habitat of this animal is in Australia. Those animals that live in the west of this continent are distinguished by their backs, decorated with thin stripes of black, while the anteaters living in the east are colored uniformly. This is a rather miniature animal, whose body length reaches almost 25-27 centimeters, and its weight does not exceed half a kilogram. Along with other representatives of the species, the numbat's muzzle is elongated, its shape is sharp, its tongue is elongated and quite thin.

The main difference from other brothers marsupial anteater there are teeth, and quite a lot of them. Surprisingly, it is one of the most toothed predatory animals - the numbat can have up to 52 teeth. However, they are not the most best quality, small, weak and randomly located. But the eyes and ears are quite large, and there are sharp claws on the paws.

Interestingly enough, by definition, this anteater cannot be called a marsupial, since it does not have a pouch as such. An unusual feature is that several cubs produced by a female can cling tenaciously to her nipples and then hang onto the mother in this way. No other animal on the planet can boast of such a skill.

Anteater as a pet

This animal is very unusual and interesting, so many admirers of something exotic often want to have it in their apartment. Tamandua becomes the most common pet. These animals are distinguished by their quick wit and intelligence; their owners can teach their pet a number of simple commands. The animal can even learn to open the refrigerator on its own.

Of course, you should treat your pet carefully, without showing aggression. Otherwise, the animal will have to defend itself. To prevent its dangerous claws from causing inconvenience and injury to its owner, experts advise cutting them twice a week.

Keeping an anteater at home is quite difficult; it results in serious troubles. He needs to provide all the conditions, organize an enclosure, which will have many swings, various hammocks, and ropes. It is worth remembering that the anteater is quite gentle, so the room temperature should not fall below 25 degrees Celsius. Living at home, the anteater will happily eat a variety of vegetables, dairy products, minced meat, fruits and cheese. But it’s better not to offer them sweets, as this can be harmful to them.

Video: Anteater (Myrmecophagidae)

Domain: Eukaryotes

Kingdom: Animals

Type: Chordata

Class: Mammals

Squad: Partial teeth

Family: Anteaters

Distribution area

Anteaters can be found throughout Central America, as well as in the southeastern parts of Mexico. IN large quantities these species are represented in the forests of Venezuela and northern Argentina. Southern Brazil and Uruguay are also distinguished by the presence of anteaters.

The favorite places of these animals are forest edges and savannas, which are located no higher than 2000 m. Anteaters can also be found in close proximity to streams and rivers or on trees with a large number of vines.

Description of the large anteater

The anteater is a large land animal, about the size of a large dog. The length of the narrow slender body is from 1 to 1.3 m, the head is long, tube-shaped, the length of the tail is in the range from 0.65 to 0.9 m. The weight of adult individuals is 30-35 kg. The ears, mouth and eyes are small. No teeth. The tongue reaches 60 cm in length, narrow, sticky. The forelimbs are powerful, well adapted for digging, four-fingered, with claws up to 10 cm long on the second and third fingers. The hind limbs have five fingers. The anteater is brown in color, with dark wedge-shaped stripes that stretch from the throat and shoulders to the sides. The coat is hard, feels like straw, is very short on the head, on the back it forms a mane about 25 cm in length, the length of the coat on the tail reaches 40 cm.

Common types of anteater

The family of mammals of the order of edentate anteaters includes 2 genera, 3 species and 11 subspecies, which are common in Central and South America.

The giant anteater is the only representative of the genus Myrmecophaga. The genus four-toed anteaters or tamandua (Tamandua) includes the species Mexican tamandua (Tamandua mexicana) and tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla). The genus Cyclopes includes one species of pygmy anteater (Cyclopes didactylus).

Mexican tamandua (Tamandua mexicana)

The body length of the animal is about 77 cm, the tail is from 40 to 67 cm in length. The muzzle is elongated, curved, the mouth is small, the tongue reaches 40 cm in length. The back has pronounced dark longitudinal stripes that expand towards the shoulders and cover the front legs, like a vest . The rest of the body is light, from white to brown. The anal gland of the Mexican tamandua secretes a secretion with an unpleasant odor, which is why the animal is called the “forest stink.”

The species' habitat includes Central America to southeastern Mexico, South America west of the Andes from Venezuela to northern Peru.

Tamandua or four-toed anteater (Tamandua tetradactyla)

Body length is from 54 to 88 cm, tail length is from 40 to 49 cm. Weight is 4-5 kg. The tip of the tail is bare. The front paws are four-toed, the hind paws are five-toed. The coat is short, hard and thick, bristling. In the southeast of their range, the animals have distinct dark stripes along their backs, which widen toward the shoulders and cover the front legs. Body color ranges from white to brown.

Distributed in South America east of the Andes, southern Colombia and from Venezuela through Brazil to northern Argentina. Lives in forests, on the edges and in savannas near bodies of water at altitudes up to 2000 m above sea level.

Dwarf or two-toed anteater (Cyclopes didactylus)

The smallest representative of anteaters with a body length from 36 to 45 cm (the length of the tail is about 18 cm), weight 270-400 g. Wool Brown with a golden tint, the soles of the feet and the tip of the nose are red. The muzzle ends with a short trunk. There are no teeth, the tongue is long and sticky. The tail is prehensile with a bare tip. The front paws are four-toed, and the hind paws have five toes.

The species is found in Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil and Paraguay. Local residents know the animal as “miko dorado”.

Lifestyle of anteaters

All species lead a solitary lifestyle. The giant anteater lives on the ground and feeds primarily during the day, although if disturbed by people it becomes nocturnal. Tamandua can be active at any time of the day; it is equally at home both on the ground and in the trees.

The dwarf species leads a completely arboreal lifestyle and is active mainly at night. All species can dig, climb and walk on the ground. However, the giant anteater rarely climbs, preferring to stay on the ground, while the dwarf anteater, on the contrary, is comfortable in trees and reluctantly descends to the ground.

Tamanduas make nests in tree hollows; giant ones dig small depressions in the ground in which they can rest for up to 15 hours a day. For camouflage, they cover their body with a huge shaggy tail. Pygmy anteaters usually sleep with their arms wrapped around a branch and their tail wrapped around their hind legs.

Individual sites of giant representatives of the family in places of abundance of food can be only 0.5 km2 in area. Such areas exist, for example, in the tropical forests on the island of Barro Colorado (Panama). But in places where there are not many ants and termites, one giant anteater may require up to 2.5 hectares.

Nutrition

Anteaters feed exclusively on insects and not all of them, but only the smallest species - ants and termites. This selectivity is due to the lack of teeth: since the anteater cannot chew food, it swallows insects whole, and in the stomach they are digested by very aggressive gastric juice.

In order for food to be digested faster, it must be small enough, so anteaters do not eat large insects. However, the anteater makes the work of its stomach easier by partially grinding or crushing insects against the hard palate at the moment of swallowing. Since the food of anteaters is small, they are forced to absorb it in large quantities, therefore they are in continuous search.

Anteaters move like living vacuum cleaners, tilting their heads to the ground and continuously sniffing out and drawing everything edible into their mouths (their sense of smell is very acute). Possessing disproportionately great strength, they noisily turn over snags, and if they encounter a termite mound on their way, they cause real destruction in it. With powerful claws anteaters destroy the termite mound and quickly lick the termites from the surface.

During the feast, the anteater's tongue moves at tremendous speed (up to 160 times per minute!), which is why it has such powerful muscles. Insects stick to the tongue thanks to sticky saliva, the salivary glands also reach huge size and are attached to the sternum, like the tongue.

Reproduction

Mating in giant anteaters occurs twice a year - in spring and autumn, other species mate more often in autumn. Since anteaters live alone, there is rarely more than one male near one female, which is why marriage rituals these animals do not.

The male finds the female by smell; anteaters are silent and do not give special calling signals. Pregnancy lasts from 3-4 (for the dwarf) to 6 months (for the giant anteater). The female, standing, gives birth to one calf, rather small and naked, which independently climbs onto her back. From that moment on, she carries it on herself all the time, and the cub tenaciously clings to her back with its clawed paws. At the giant anteater little cub It is generally difficult to detect because it is buried in the mother's coarse fur.

Tamandua females often, while feeding on a tree, place the baby on some branch; after completing all her work, the mother takes the baby and goes down. Anteater cubs spend a long time with their mother: for the first month they remain on her back inseparably, then they begin to descend to the ground, but remain associated with the female for up to two years! It is not uncommon to see a female anteater carrying a “baby” almost equal in size to her on her back. Puberty different types reach in 1-2 years. Giant anteaters live up to 15 years, tamanduas - up to 9.

Enemies in nature

In nature, anteaters have few enemies. In general, only jaguars dare to attack large giant anteaters, but this animal has a weapon against predators - claws up to 10 cm long. In case of danger, the anteater falls on its back and begins to clumsily swing all four paws. The external absurdity of this behavior is deceptive; the anteater can cause severe wounds. Small species are more vulnerable; in addition to jaguars, large boas and eagles can attack them, but these animals also defend themselves with the help of their claws.

In addition to turning over on their back, they can sit on their tail and fight off with their paws, and the pygmy anteater does the same thing while hanging on its tail from a tree branch. And tamandua also uses an unpleasant odor as additional protection, for this local residents They even nicknamed him “the forest stink.”

Conservation in nature

Local residents rarely hunt anteaters for meat; Tamandua skins are used in artisanal tanning, but only insignificantly. However, the giant anteater has disappeared from much of its historical range in Central America due to habitat destruction and human activity. In South America, anteaters are often hunted for trophies by animal traders. In some parts of Peru and Brazil they were completely exterminated.

Tamandua is also persecuted - it defends itself effectively, so they hunt it for sport with dogs. Tamanduas often die under the wheels of cars. However, the most serious threat to these animals is habitat loss and the destruction of the few insect species on which they can feed.

Keeping an anteater at home

Keeping such a pet in your home is really very funny and exciting. A domestic anteater can easily do without its own cage and, believe me, you won’t offend it in any way, because who would be happy about being locked behind bars. When you have such a friend in the house, you should get used to it and accept the fact that this is, to some extent, almost like a small child.

So it would be a good idea to allocate a separate room for him, in which, by the way, you can lock him when you leave for work, since this craftsman can do such things in the house that you are unlikely to praise him.

Furniture most often suffers from such a friend from South America; like a cat, he strives to sharpen his claws on its upholstery, and he has quite large ones, so it is better that his walks around the apartment are carried out under someone’s careful supervision. In addition, by its nature, the anteater is a creature in no way deprived of intelligence, in this regard, it really loves to stick its long, curious little face into all the corners into which it crawls and not so much, in which case it also has paws.

If such an unpleasant situation has happened and this pretty tenant has already managed to do his own thing in the house, do not rush to scold him or, moreover, to educate him, using force. Firstly, you will scare him, and this can have quite a negative impact on your future relationships, because the animal may begin to perceive you no longer as a friend. Well, the second reason why you shouldn’t “attack” him is that although he is kind, he’s still wild animal. He himself will never start hunting you, but he is not used to giving himself offense, so you can easily get hit with a heavy, muscular paw, which is also armed with a long, sharp claw.

It’s not a problem to take such a pet for walks in the yard on a leash; it just needs to be accustomed to these devices. early childhood. For example, Salvador Dali kept such an unusual friend and walked around the city with him every day in search of inspiration.

This eccentric loves to be given attention, you can play with him, dress him, comb him, he will not run away or kick. The anteater will just calmly settle down, be happy and have fun.

At home, it is not necessary to catch tens of thousands of ants for him; he will be quite happy with such a treat as porridge with minced meat, rice is best, you can also give him various fruits and eggs. Just don't forget that he doesn't have teeth - you'll have to grind your lunch thoroughly. But during a walk, you can calmly lead him to anthills, believe me, he will not get confused and will get to work, his instincts will take over in any case.

Since this exotic comes from warm countries, it must not be allowed to freeze, so fashionable clothes for an anteater are not only fun and beautiful, but also to some extent necessary. Also, during sleep, it should be covered with something warm.

The average cost of such an extraordinary pet ranges from 500,000 to 2,500,000 rubles.

• The giant anteater is rare species, which is listed in the International Red Book.
• The anteater's tongue works with amazing speed during feeding. The animal throws it out and pulls it back in up to 160 times per minute. Thanks to this speed, an adult anteater eats up to 30,000 ants per day!
• The length of the giant anteater's tongue reaches 61 cm, which is a record for any land animal.
• A typical voracious anteater can eat up to 30 thousand ants or termites in a day.
• Anteaters are not herd animals; they prefer to lead a solitary lifestyle, at most a family one. However, when in captivity they can play well with each other.
• Anteaters have a peaceful nature, which makes them amenable to domestication; they can get along well with more common pets: cats and dogs, and even love to play with children. True, keeping an anteater at home is not so easy, because they cannot stand the cold at all; the favorable temperature for them should be no lower than 24-26 C.
• Anteaters, among other things, are good swimmers and can easily swim across tropical bodies of water.

Video

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Perhaps there are not many animals on earth as strange and unusual as the anteater. When you see this creature, the first thing that catches your eye is its long and narrow snout, like a tube, with small eyes and a very small mouth. But the huge claws, thick fur and long fluffy tail of the giant anteater are the envy of all animals.

The anteater belongs to the class of mammals of the anteater family, the order of edentates. The family includes 3 modern genera:

1) The genus Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga Linnaeus) is represented by the species Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla).

The body length of this species is 1-1.9 m, weight 18–39 kg. The body is compressed from the sides, the neck is elongated, greatly expanding towards the base. The tail is long. The paws are five-toed, the front ones are longer than the hind ones.

In the photo, the giant anteater shows off its luxurious tail.

A giant member of the family inhabits South America east of the Andes, south to Argentina and Uruguay, as well as southern part Central America. Lives in various biotypes from swampy plains and pampas to tropical rainforests.

2) The genus of four-toed anteaters (Tamandua Gray) is represented by the species four-toed anteater, or tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla).

Body length 53–88 cm, weight 3.6–8.4 kg. On the forelimbs, 4 fingers are armed with long claws, on the hind limbs, all five fingers are armed with short claws. The tail is long, its tip is bare, and is capable of grasping tree branches.

In the photo there is a tamandua anteater: he is as comfortable in the trees as on the ground.

Tamandua lives in Central and South America to northern Argentina and Uruguay. Distributed in various types forests, tries to stay in areas close to water with thickets of climbing plants. Can climb mountains up to 2000 m.

3) The genus Dwarf Anteater (Cyclopes Gray) is represented by the species Dwarf Anteater (Cyclopes didactylus).

Body length 15–20 cm, weight no more than 400 grams. The body is cylindrical. The limbs are five-fingered. Tail longer than body, with a wide base, grasping, at the end of the tail there is a bare area.

Anteaters are the only representatives of the Incomplete-edentates (Xenarthra), (which, along with them, includes the extinct glyptodonts) that do not have teeth.

The muzzle of the animals is disproportionately long; in the giant species, the head exceeds 30 cm. The mouth opening is very narrow. The tongue, narrow and round in cross-section, is very long: in the tamandua it extends to 40 cm, and in the giant anteater - up to 61 cm. In all species, the tongue is covered with small back-pointing spines and a thick layer of sticky saliva, which is secreted by large salivary glands.

The giant and dwarf species have the largest claws on the second and third toes, while the tamandua has the largest claws on the second, third and fourth. When moving, animals bend and tuck their fingers inward, avoiding contact of sharp claws with the ground.

Only the giant anteater can boast of long and elastic hair; other species have short hair.

Based on slight differences in coloration, giant anteaters are divided into three subspecies, and the Mexican tamandua into 5.

The main part of the fur of the giant species is colored silver-gray. Color variations depend on the size and intensity of the dark color of the "vest"; however, such coloring is inherent to all individuals to one degree or another.

Tamandua has a very wide variety of color variations. Animals in the northern part of their range have uniformly light skin, while in the southern part they have a pronounced dark “vest.” Differences between species are most pronounced at the boundaries of their ranges. In the northern regions, anteaters are uniformly golden in color or with a dark stripe on the back, but as they move south they become increasingly gray and with a darker stripe on the back.

Anteater diet

The diet of these mammals consists exclusively of social insects, primarily ants and termites, and such a diet requires adaptations not only of the chewing apparatus and digestive tract, but also of behavior, metabolic rate and mode of movement. The giant species eats large-sized ants and termites, the tamandua eats medium-sized ones, and the dwarf species specializes in the smallest. Tamandua, for example, usually eats up to 9 thousand ants per day, and the giant one can eat 30 thousand ants per day.

These animals are picky and avoid swallowing soldier ants, as well as ants and termites that have chemical defenses.

Anteaters usually do not drink, but are content with the water they receive with their food.

The method of food absorption is unique among mammals. Anteaters contract their chewing muscles to turn the halves inside out. lower jaw, and thus open your mouth slightly. The mouth is closed by the pterygoid muscles. The result is simplified and minimal jaw movement consistent with the inward and outward movement of the tongue. This technique allows for almost continuous swallowing and maximizes the rate of food consumption. These movements of the tongue are controlled by a special muscle that is attached to the base of the sternum.

Another unique feature of anteaters is the absence of of hydrochloric acid, which should help digestion. And it is replaced by formic acid from food.

All anteaters have low level metabolism, while the giant representatives of the family have the most low temperature bodies among placental mammals (32.7° C). The body temperature of the tamandua and the dwarf species is slightly higher.

Lifestyle of anteaters

All species lead a solitary lifestyle.

The giant anteater lives on the ground and feeds primarily during the day, although if disturbed by people it becomes nocturnal.

Tamandua can be active at any time of the day; it is equally at home both on the ground and in the trees.

The dwarf species leads a completely arboreal lifestyle and is active mainly at night.

All species can dig, climb and walk on the ground. However, the giant anteater rarely climbs, preferring to stay on the ground, while the dwarf anteater, on the contrary, is comfortable in trees and reluctantly descends to the ground.

Tamanduas make nests in tree hollows; giant ones dig small depressions in the ground in which they can rest for up to 15 hours a day. For camouflage, they cover their body with a huge shaggy tail. Pygmy anteaters usually sleep with their arms wrapped around a branch and their tail wrapped around their hind legs.

Individual sites of giant representatives of the family in places of abundance of food can be only 0.5 km2 in area. Such areas exist, for example, in the tropical forests on the island of Barro Colorado (Panama). But in places where there are not many ants and termites, one giant anteater may require up to 2.5 hectares.

The appearance of offspring

U giant species and tamandua the mating season is in the fall, and in the spring a single young is born. The baby is born mature and already has sharp claws. Using its claws, the little anteater climbs onto its mother's back almost immediately after birth. The cub feeds on milk for about six months, but can remain with its mother for another 1.5 years until it reaches sexual maturity.

Baby giant anteater - exact copies parents, and tamandua babies do not look very much like their parents; their color can vary from white to black.

In dwarf anteaters, mating occurs most often in the spring, sometimes in the fall. Both mother and father carry the young on themselves and feed them regurgitated, semi-digested ants.

Enemies

In their natural habitat, only pumas and jaguars pose a threat to giant anteaters, but since our hero is able to fend for himself, they usually prefer not to mess with them. When repelling an attack, the animals stand on their hind legs and desperately chop the enemy with claws reaching a length of 10 cm. They can even squeeze and crush the enemy.

Pygmy anteaters are less fortunate: in nature, even predator birds and boa constrictors. But these little ones also try to defend themselves: in case of danger, they stand on their hind legs in a protective stance, and hold their front paws with long claws in front of their muzzle. And tamanduas also use a strong odor secreted by the anal gland as additional protection.

Conservation in nature

Local residents rarely hunt anteaters for meat; Tamandua skins are used in artisanal tanning, but only insignificantly. However, the giant anteater has disappeared from much of its historical range in Central America due to habitat destruction and human activity. In South America, anteaters are often hunted for trophies by animal traders. In some parts of Peru and Brazil they were completely exterminated.

Tamandua is also persecuted - it defends itself effectively, so they hunt it for sport with dogs. Tamanduas often die under the wheels of cars. However, the most serious threat to these animals is habitat loss and the destruction of the few insect species on which they can feed.

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