Animals
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AnteatersThe Amazon basin is home to several species of anteater. These range from small tree-living anteaters, such as the silky anteater and tamandua, to the famous Giant Anteater. Anteaters are found in an area ranging from Mexico to Argentina. They differ from Africa's aardvark species and the echidna. Anteaters are more closely related to sloths and armadillos. The most common feature of anteaters is their distinctive nose or snout. The snout is a long tube through which the anteater sucks up ants, termites, grubs and (very occasionally) fruit. It is used for poking around into insect nests and burrows, which the anteater also breaks into using sharp claws on its front feet. The anteater has a long sticky tongue which is ideally suited for collecting ants. A Giant Anteater's tongue measures 60cm (24 inches) long and is described as "worm-like" in appearance. Anteaters don't have teeth, but once they have the ants in their mouth, they crush them against their upper mouth and can further grind them in their stomach. Anteaters drink by licking wet plants. When kept in a zoo, anteaters are fed a bizarre combination of ground dog biscuits and horsemeat, dried cottage cheese, banana, hard-boiled egg, and vitamin and mineral mix. The Giant Anteater measures 180 centimetres (6ft) in length including its large bushy tail, and weighs about 40 kg (88 lb). It lives on on the ground in grasslands, swampy areas, and tropical rainforests. It has a very long tubular head, with very small eyes and ears. It has poor vision, but compensates for this with good hearing and an excellent sense of smell. The anteater's body is covered in shaggy hair, which is mostly grey with the exception of black stripe that stretches from its cheeks, then along its shoulders and onto its back. The Giant Anteater is most active during the day, but is said to become nocturnal when living near populated areas. It can consume more than 30,000 ants and termites per day – but only spends a short time (about a minute) by the nest when it feeds. This short time gives the ants insufficient time to retaliate and sting the anteater. Anteaters stay away from insects with large biting jaws such as red or army ants. Giant Anteaters are solitary creatures, but there is a long period during which a young anteater remains with its mother. She carries the young anteater on her back until it is almost half her size. The young anteater will generally stay with its mother, leaving only when she becomes pregnant again. Although unable to bite, the Giant Anteater can defend itself by standing on its hind legs and striking out at anything around it with sharp claws on the end of its forefeet. When cornered, the anteater moves with great agility, and it claws would easily cause injury to another animal. Its enemies include the puma and jaguar. Unfortunately, the claws don't retract so the anteater appears to have problems when walking normally. Tamandua anteaters are smaller than the Giant Anteater. They have a light-brown furry body, measuring approximately 56 centimetres (22 inches), not including the tail. The vested or collared tamandua also has a dark grey or black area around its body which makes it seem as though it's wearing a waistcoat or vest. The tamandua's tail is the same length as its body, so it reaches a total length closer to 110 cm (44 inches). Tamanduas can be found in the branches of the rainforest canopy, eating the many species of ants which also live there. Some rainforest trees been found containing up to 43 species of ant. Trees also contain termites, grubs, and many other insects. When attacked by predatory birds, the tamandua rears up onto its hind legs and slashes at the bird with its sharp claws. Silky Anteater, also called a pygmy anteater, is the smallest of all. It ranges from about 17 to 40 cm (6.5 to 15 inches) long, and has a fine silky coat, which is how it gets its name. Like the tamandua, it also lives in the trees of the rainforest. |
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