Myrmecophagidae is the anteater family, in the order Pilosa, suborder Vermilingua. It contains two genera and three species, the giant anteater and the two tamanduas, found from southern Belize and Guatemala to northern Argentina. Members have elongated snouts, long narrow tongues, and powerful claws for ripping open termite mounds and ant nests; they have no teeth at all, instead producing large amounts of sticky saliva and backward-pointing spines on the tongue to trap insects, and ants and termites make up almost their entire diet and water intake in the wild.
Facts
Classification
Living or Extinct Taxonomic Rank Connections
Parent Taxon Of
Source Wikidata: Tamandua
Sources
1. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ206538, descriptionView the Source 2. Wikipedia: Myrmecophagidae
WikipediaIntroductionQuote, Introduction
The Myrmecophagidae are a family of anteaters.
View the Source Wikidata: Myrmecophagidae
Wikidata Q206538, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Wikidata: Tamandua
Parent Taxon Of: Tamandua, Wikidata P171 (parent taxon) claim, rank=normal, target=Q206538 (Myrmecophagidae)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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