Anteater
mammals known for eating ants and termites
An anteater is a mammal of the family Myrmecophagidae and the suborder Vermilingua. Anteaters live in South America and Central America.
| Anteater Temporal range: Early Miocene-present
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| Giant anteater | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Pilosa |
| Suborder: | Vermilingua Illiger, 1811 |
| Families | |
Anteaters eat ants and termites. They have long, sharp claws and a long, sticky tongue. The tongue can be up to 60 cm long, as long as a person's arm. The anteater opens an ant nest with its claws. Then it licks up the ants with its tongue.
Large anteaters that move on the ground knuckle-walk, bending their front toes under when they move the way gorillas do. Small anteaters that live in trees do not do this.[1]
Gallery
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A Giant Anteater. -
Termites -
Termite mound -
Tree Anteater -
Giant Anteater
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References
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Wikispecies has information on: Myrmecophagidae.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Myrmecophagidae.
- ↑ Caley M Orr (2005). "Knuckle-walking Anteater: A Convergence Test of Adaptation for Purported Knuckle-Walking Features of African Hominidae". Am J Phys Anthropol. 128 (3): 639–58. doi:10.1002/ajpa.20192. PMID 15861420. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
