The Myrmecophagidae are a family of

anteater Anteater is a common name for the four extant mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua (meaning "worm tongue") commonly known for eating ants and termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together wit ...

s, the name being derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...

words for 'ant' and 'eat' (''myrmeco-'' and '). Two genera and three species are in the family, consisting of the

giant anteater The giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') is an insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. It is one of four living species of anteaters, of which it is the largest member. The only extant member of the genus ''Myrmecophag ...

, and the tamanduas. The fossil '' Eurotamandua'' from the

Messel Pit The Messel pit (german: Grube Messel) is a disused quarry near the village of Messel (Landkreis Darmstadt-Dieburg, Hesse) about southeast of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Bituminous shale was mined there. Because of its abundance of well-preserved ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

may be an early anteater, but its status is currently debated.

Characteristics

Myrmecophagids are medium to large animals, with distinctively elongated snouts and long, narrow tongues. They have powerful claws on their toes, enabling them to rip open termite mounds and ant nests to eat the insects inside. They have no teeth, but produce a large amount of sticky saliva to trap the insects, as well as backward-pointing spines on their tongues. Ants and termites are almost their only food in the wild, and their primary source of water, although they sometimes also drink free-standing water, and occasionally eat fruits.

Distribution

Myrmecophagids are found in Central and South America, from southern Belize and Guatemala to northern Argentina.

Reproduction

Most myrmecophagids are solitary, meeting only to mate. Myrmecophagids are polygamous and the male generally has no role in caring for the young. The male silky anteater is an exception and helps to feed its young. The gestation period of myrmecophagids ranges from 120 to 190 days. Myrmecophagids typically give birth to one offspring at a time, and the cub lives on its mothers back for 6–9 months after it is born. Myrmecophagids have such sharp claws that they cannot touch their young without causing injury.

Evolutionary history

Myrmecophagids belong to the Xenarthra, formerly known as Edentata, which also includes sloths and armadillos. Edentates (meaning without teeth) diverged from insectivores during the Cretaceous period, roughly 135 million years ago. The fossil record of the family Myrmecophagidae dates to the

Early Miocene The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages: the Aquitanian age, Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 annum, Ma to ...

in South America, roughly 25 million years ago. Throughout their evolutionary history, myrmecophagids have maintained a narrow range, though at one point their range may have extended to northern Mexico.

Taxonomy

*Order: Pilosa **Suborder: Folivora **Suborder: Vermilingua ***Family: Cyclopedidae ****Genus: ''

Cyclopes In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...

'' *****Species: '' Cyclopes didactylus'' - silky anteater ***Family: Myrmecophagidae ****Genus: ''

Protamandua ''Protamandua'' is an extinct genus of anteaters. Its closest living relatives are the giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') and tamanduas (genus ''Tamandua''). Fossils of ''Protamandua'' are restricted to the Santa Cruz Formation of Arge ...

'' † ****Genus: ''

Myrmecophaga The giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') is an insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. It is one of four living species of anteaters, of which it is the largest member. The only extant member of the genus ''Myrmecophag ...

'' *****Species: ''

Myrmecophaga tridactyla The giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') is an insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. It is one of four living species of anteaters, of which it is the largest member. The only extant member of the genus ''Myrmecopha ...

'' - giant anteater ****Genus: '' Neotamandua'' † ****Genus: '' Tamandua'' *****Species: '' Tamandua mexicana'' - northern tamandua *****Species: '' Tamandua tetradactyla'' - southern tamandua

References

* "Anteaters: Myrmecophagidae - Behavior And Reproduction." ''- Female, Silky, Claws, and Birth''. 08 Nov. 2015. * "Anteater Online." ''Anteater Online''. 08 Nov. 2015. Mammals of Colombia Anteaters Mammal families Extant Miocene first appearances Taxa named by John Edward Gray {{mammal-stub