---
title: "What the sources say about the Giant Anteater | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "44 claims from the Giant Anteater profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Giant Anteater (*Myrmecophaga tridactyla*)

> 44 claims from the Giant Anteater profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Giant Anteater](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/giant-anteater/)

## Haddad et al. (2014). Human Death Caused by a Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in Brazil. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wem.2014.04.008

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| dangerLevel: Deadly | The fatal outcome of a defensive attack by a giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is reported. (note: Capability tier: a cornered anteater killed a hunter with its forelimbs ('he died at the scene'); the paper cites a similar case.) |

## Giant anteater. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/giant-anteater

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A toothless anteater | a long, distinctive snout with a 2-foot-long tongue and no teeth |
| whose 2-foot tongue flicks in and out up to 150 times a minute | The 2-foot-long tongue is attached to the sternum and can flick in and out up to 150 times per minute. |
| Wetlands, grasslands and tropical forests across Central and South America | They live in wetlands, grasslands and tropical forests. |
| across Central and South America | Giant anteaters are found throughout Central and South America |
| Almost exclusively ants and termites | Anteaters feed almost exclusively on ants and termites |
| A 2-foot tongue that flicks in and out up to 150 times per minute | The 2-foot-long tongue is attached to the sternum and can flick in and out up to 150 times per minute. |
| A giant anteater has no teeth | a 2-foot-long tongue and no teeth |
| coated in sticky saliva | sticky saliva coats the tongue |
| can flick in and out up to 150 times per minute | can flick in and out up to 150 times per minute |
| attached to the sternum | The 2-foot-long tongue is attached to the sternum |
| It rips open ant and termite nests with its powerful forelimbs and claws, then takes in the insects with its sticky tongue | ants and termites, whose nests they rip open with their powerful forelimbs and claws, and then ingest with their sticky tongue |
| it can tell the species of ant or termite by smell before it tears a nest apart | giant anteaters can identify the particular species of ant or termite by smell before they rip apart the prey's nest |
| This is the largest of the four anteater species | The largest of the four anteater species |
| It reaches 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 m) long, counting both nose and tail | giant anteaters reach 6-8 feet (1.8-2.4 meters) in length, including both nose and tail |
| weighs 60 to 100 pounds (27 to 45 kg) | They weigh between 60 and 100 pounds (27 and 45 kilograms). |
| The hair on its legs and tail resembles the texture of a horse's mane | longer hair on their legs and tail, which resembles the texture of a horse's mane |
| The anteater protects them by tucking them into its palms and walking on its front knuckles | Giant anteaters protect their sharp front claws by tucking them into their palms and walking on their front knuckles. |
| The usual gait is a slow shuffle | They walk in a slow, shuffling gait |
| it can gallop at over 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) | when necessary can gallop at over 30 miles per hour (48 kilometers per hour) |
| The anteater avoids threats if it can | Giant anteaters will avoid threats if possible. |
| it rears up, steadies itself on its large tail and uses its powerful claws | they will rear up, steadying themselves with their large tails, and use their powerful claws |
| Giant anteaters live in wetlands, grasslands and tropical forests throughout Central and South America | Giant anteaters are found throughout Central and South America except for Guatemala, Uruguay and El Salvador, where they are considered to be extinct. They live in wetlands, grasslands and tropical forests. |
| They are considered extinct in Guatemala, Uruguay and El Salvador | except for Guatemala, Uruguay and El Salvador, where they are considered to be extinct |
| How long a wild anteater lives is unknown | Lifespan in the wild is unknown. |
| Gestation lasts about 180 days, or six months | Gestation lasts about 180 days (six months). |
| the mother gives birth to a single young | They give birth to a single young |
| the baby climbs onto her back and stays there for up to a year | the young anteater climbs onto the mother's back where it stays for up to a year |
| the more populated an area is, the more likely the anteaters are to be nocturnal, and in less populated areas they are diurnal | The more populated the area, the more likely the anteaters will be nocturnal; in less populated areas, anteaters are diurnal. |
| habitat loss in combination with the anteaters' dietary specificity, low reproductive rates and large body size as significant factors in the decline | Habitat loss in combination with giant anteaters' dietary specificity, low reproductive rates and large body size are significant factors in its decline. |
| The front claws are sharp | Giant anteaters protect their sharp front claws |
| It appears to depend on how many people live nearby | Giant anteater lifestyles appear to depend on the human population density around them. |
| tags: solitary-hunter | Giant anteaters are typically solitary, except during the mating season or when a mother is caring for her young. |

## Giant Anteater. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/giant-anteater

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a 2-foot (60 cm) tongue | The anteater's narrow tongue is about 2 feet (60 centimeters) long |
| An anteater is not immune to ant bites, so it feeds at a colony for a minute or so before moving on | A giant anteater is not immune to ant bites, so it feeds at an ant or termite colony for just a minute or so before moving on. |
| it can eat up to 30,000 ants and termites each day | a specialized tongue allows them to eat up to 30,000 ants and termites each day |
| A giant anteater's sense of smell is 40 times more powerful than ours | The giant anteater's sense of smell is 40 times more powerful than ours. |
| At 32.7 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit), it has one of the lowest body temperatures of any mammal, presumably in response to a low-calorie diet of insects | Giant anteaters have one of the lowest body temperatures for a mammal, 91 degree Fahrenheit (32.7 degrees Celsius), presumably in response to their low-calorie insect diet. |
| A giant anteater is not immune to ant bites, so it feeds at a colony for a minute or so before moving on | A giant anteater is not immune to ant bites, so it feeds at an ant or termite colony for just a minute or so before moving on. |
| tags: savanna | are found in tropical and dry forests, savannas, and grasslands |

## Myrmecophaga tridactyla (giant anteater). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Myrmecophaga_tridactyla/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Its size makes it invulnerable to all but the largest predators, jaguars and pumas primarily | Their size makes them invulnerable to all but the largest of predators, jaguars and pumas primarily. |

## AnAge entry for Myrmecophaga tridactyla. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Myrmecophaga_tridactyla

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In captivity, an AnAge entry reports one estimated at 31 years old when it died | One specimen was estimated to be 31 years old when it died in captivity |

## Miranda et al. (2025). Myrmecophaga tridactyla. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T14224A210444314.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2025-1.rlts.t14224a210444314.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Vulnerable | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). |
| The IUCN Red List rates the species Vulnerable | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). |