The name “anteater” in itself is enough to tell you some things about these strange creatures that live in the tropics. As you can easily guess, they feed almost entirely upon ants, termites and other insects. Each anteater has a long ribbon-like tongue with which he sweeps up the swarming ants; as this tongue is covered with a sticky substance, the ants have no chance of escape. No true anteater has teeth; they are not needed.
Anteaters are found in South America, Africa, Australia and Asia. The largest one is found in South America and is called the “Great Anteater.” It is sometimes six feet long. The tail is two feet in length and is covered with long, coarse, blackish-gray hairs. Some people say the tail keeps the insects from bothering the anteater but perhaps the most noticeable use is as a blanket while sleeping. The tail not only keeps the body at the right temperature at this time but also hides the animal from view.
The head of the anteater is drawn out into a long, narrow, tube-like snout. The eyes and ears are very small and the mouth is a little opening just large enough for the narrow tongue to flash in and out. Sometimes that tongue goes out about two feet. The anteater tears open the ant hills with the curved claws on his front feet. These claws are very long, sharp, and turn under. Thus with the front paws turned under and the back paws flat, walking is quite slow and difficult. The greatest speed it can attain is a sort of shuffling run that any boy can overtake.
The Great Anteater sleeps in the daytime curled up in a ball in some tall grass. It does not have a burrow or home but sleeps in about the same place each day. The hunters track the anteater to his sleeping place in the early morning while the grass is wet with dew and the tracks are still visible. The anteaters are usually killed with spears. The meat is stewed or roasted and tastes something like goose meat.
Only one baby anteater is born a year. This youngster rides on his mother’s back until quite large and then he stays with her until he is about a year and a half old.
As a rule the Great Anteater is not a fighter, but cornered he is just as fierce as a jaguar. The enormous claws can easily tear a dog to pieces. Sometimes the anteater sits up on his hind legs and just hugs his prey. Thus the Great Anteater is respected by both animals and men.
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| A Northern tamandua or ant eater. Meet Pebbles. |
The Lesser Anteater, or Tamandua, from South America is smaller; its tail is not bushy but is slender and is often used as another foot, just as a monkey uses his tail. This anteater spends much of its time in a tree swinging and hanging there except when looking for a nest of ants.
A very small anteater is the Two-toed or Silky Anteater from the hottest parts of South America. It is about the size of a rat and hangs in a tree by its tail most of the time. As the name suggests, the hair is very silky and soft with a yellowish color. The natives call this little fellow “ Kissing Hand” because it seldom eats anything in captivity, and spends the time licking its paws like a bear.
The Scaly Anteater is also known as the Pangolin and is found only in the old world—in Africa and Asia. It looks something like an armadillo with overlapping, horny scales on the back and tail. If disturbed when walking, this anteater quickly puts its head between its front legs, turns a somersault and rolls up into a tight ball of armor, making a hissing sound. The animal is then perfectly safe from all enemies. Sometimes this old world pangolin or anteater climbs trees and hangs there with the help of its powerful tail, but not all pangolins climb trees.
A solitary baby is born in an underground burrow once a year. One burrow was found with a father, mother and baby pangolin. The baby was clinging to the mother's back. When removed, it immediately climbed back again. This youngster did not seem to recognize its father, but did know its mother, even from a distance of three feet and would go to her as fast as possible.
Thus the anteaters vary widely in their habits and appearances. However, they always live in the tropics and perhaps most interesting of all, they have no teeth. Wood.
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