Giant Anteater

The giant anteater is the largest of the anteater species, native to grassland, savanna and forest habitats across Central and South America, instantly recognizable by its elongated snout, thick bushy tail and distinctive black-and-white diagonal stripe crossing its shoulder. It has no teeth at all, relying instead on a long, sticky tongue that can extend up to 60 centimetres and flick in and out more than 150 times a minute to lap up ants and termites from nests it tears open with powerful, curved foreclaws. Those same foreclaws, so large that the animal must walk on its knuckles to protect them, also serve as a formidable defense against predators such as jaguars and pumas, capable of delivering serious injury when the anteater rears onto its hind legs. Giant anteaters are largely solitary, cover extensive home ranges in search of food, and have a notably low body temperature and metabolic rate for a mammal of their size, reflecting the relatively low energy content of their insect diet. Habitat loss, road mortality and hunting have caused population declines across much of its range, and the species is classified as vulnerable.