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Vermilingua
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 with the sloths, they are within the order Pilosa. The name "anteater" is also commonly applied to the unrelated aardvark, numbat, echidnas, pangolins, and some members of the Oecobiidae, although they are not closely related to them. Extant species are the giant anteater ''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'', about long including the tail; the silky anteater ''Cyclopes didactylus'', about long; the southern tamandua or collared anteater ''Tamandua tetradactyla'', about long; and the northern tamandua ''Tamandua mexicana'' of similar dimensions. Taxonomy Classification The anteaters are more closely related to the sloths than they are to any other group of mammals. Their next closest relations are armadillos. There are four extant species in three ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 ''Myrmecophaga'', it is classified with sloths in the order Pilosa. This species is mostly terrestrial, in contrast to other living anteaters and sloths, which are arboreal or semiarboreal. The giant anteater is in length, with weights of for males and for females. It is recognizable by its elongated snout, bushy tail, long fore claws, and distinctively colored pelage. The giant anteater is found in multiple habitats, including grassland and rainforest. It forages in open areas and rests in more forested habitats. It feeds primarily on ants and termites, using its fore claws to dig them up and its long, sticky tongue to collect them. Though giant anteaters live in overlapping home ranges, they are mostly solitary except during mother-offspring rel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 ''Myrmecophaga'', it is classified with sloths in the order Pilosa. This species is mostly terrestrial, in contrast to other living anteaters and sloths, which are arboreal or semiarboreal. The giant anteater is in length, with weights of for males and for females. It is recognizable by its elongated snout, bushy tail, long fore claws, and distinctively colored pelage. The giant anteater is found in multiple habitats, including grassland and rainforest. It forages in open areas and rests in more forested habitats. It feeds primarily on ants and termites, using its fore claws to dig them up and its long, sticky tongue to collect them. Though giant anteaters live in overlapping home ranges, they are mostly solitary except during mother-offspring rel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 ''Myrmecophaga'', it is classified with sloths in the order Pilosa. This species is mostly terrestrial, in contrast to other living anteaters and sloths, which are arboreal or semiarboreal. The giant anteater is in length, with weights of for males and for females. It is recognizable by its elongated snout, bushy tail, long fore claws, and distinctively colored pelage. The giant anteater is found in multiple habitats, including grassland and rainforest. It forages in open areas and rests in more forested habitats. It feeds primarily on ants and termites, using its fore claws to dig them up and its long, sticky tongue to collect them. Though giant anteaters live in overlapping home ranges, they are mostly solitary except during mother-offspring rela ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pilosa
The order Pilosa is a clade of xenarthran placental mammals, native to the Americas. It includes the anteaters and sloths (which includes the extinct ground sloths). The name comes from the Latin word for "hairy". Origins and taxonomy The biogeographic origins of the Pilosa are still unclear, but they can be traced back in South America as far as the early Paleogene (about 60 million years ago, only a short time after the end of the Mesozoic Era). The presence of these animals in Central America and their former presence in North America is a result of the Great American Interchange. A number of sloths were also formerly present on the Antilles, which they reached from South America by some combination of rafting or floating with the prevailing currents. Together with the armadillos, which are in the order Cingulata, pilosans are part of the larger superorder Xenarthra, a defining characteristic of which is the presence of xenarthrals (extra formations between lumbar verte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Silky Anteater
The silky anteater, also known as the pygmy anteater, has traditionally been considered a single species of anteater, ''Cyclopes didactylus'', in the genus ''Cyclopes'', the only living genus in the family Cyclopedidae. Found in southern Mexico, and Central and South America, it is the smallest of all known anteaters. It has nocturnal habits and appears to be completely arboreal; its hind feet are highly modified for climbing. A taxonomic review in 2017, including both molecular and morphological evidence, found that ''Cyclopes'' may actually comprise at least seven species. The only known extinct cyclopedid species is '' Palaeomyrmidon incomtus'', from the Late Miocene ( c. 7 to 9 million years ago) of modern-day Argentina. Description Silky anteaters are the smallest living anteaters, and have proportionately shorter faces and larger crania than other species. Adults have a total length ranging from , including a tail long, and weigh from . They have dense and soft fur, whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neotamandua
''Neotamandua'' is an extinct genus of anteaters that lived in the Miocene to Pliocene in South America. Taxonomy Their fossils have been found in the Miocene Collón Cura Formation of Argentina, the Honda Group at La Venta in Colombia and the Pliocene Araucano Formation in Argentina. Its closest living relatives are the giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') and tamanduas (genus ''Tamandua''). The species ''Neotamandua borealis ''Neotamandua borealis'' is an extinct species of anteater. Fossils were found in the Honda Group, Colombia, Honda Group at the Lagerstätte, Konzentrat-Lagerstätte of La Venta (Colombia), La Venta, Colombia. It was suggested to be an ancestor ...'' was suggested to be an ancestor of the giant anteater. Patterson (1992) suggested the ''Neotamandua'' fossils are very similar to ''Myrmecophaga'', which would mean ''Neotamandua'' may be congeneric with ''Myrmecophaga''. References {{Taxonbar, from=Q3558598 Anteaters Prehistoric placent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Silky Anteater
The silky anteater, also known as the pygmy anteater, has traditionally been considered a single species of anteater, ''Cyclopes didactylus'', in the genus ''Cyclopes'', the only living genus in the family Cyclopedidae. Found in southern Mexico, and Central and South America, it is the smallest of all known anteaters. It has nocturnal habits and appears to be completely arboreal; its hind feet are highly modified for climbing. A taxonomic review in 2017, including both molecular and morphological evidence, found that ''Cyclopes'' may actually comprise at least seven species. The only known extinct cyclopedid species is '' Palaeomyrmidon incomtus'', from the Late Miocene ( c. 7 to 9 million years ago) of modern-day Argentina. Description Silky anteaters are the smallest living anteaters, and have proportionately shorter faces and larger crania than other species. Adults have a total length ranging from , including a tail long, and weigh from . They have dense and soft fur, whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyclopedidae
The Cyclopedidae is a family of anteaters that includes the silky anteater and its extinct relative, ''Palaeomyrmidon ''Palaeomyrmidon'' is an extinct genus of anteater. Its closest living relative is the silky anteater (''Cyclopes didactylus''). Although the silky anteater is arboreal, ''Palaeomyrmidon'' lived on the ground. ''Palaeomyrmidon'' is known from ...''. References Mammal families Taxa named by R. I. Pocock Extant Pliocene first appearances Pilosans {{Mammal-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th .... It may have been a common ancestor of ''Myrmecophaga'' and ''Tamandua''. References {{Taxonbar, from=Q7251167 Anteaters Prehistoric placental genera Miocene xenarthrans Miocene mammals of South America Mayoan Laventan Colloncuran Friasian Santacrucian Neogene Argentina Fossils of Argentina Fossil taxa described in 1904 Taxa named by Florentino Ameghino ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myrmecophagidae
The Myrmecophagidae are a family of anteaters, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek words for 'ant' and 'eat' (''myrmeco-'' and '). Two genera and three species are in the family, consisting of the giant anteater, and the tamanduas. The fossil ''Eurotamandua'' from the Messel Pit in Germany 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 Americ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Armadillo
Armadillos (meaning "little armored ones" in Spanish) are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. The Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae are the only surviving families in the order, which is part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. Nine extinct genera and 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are distinguished by the number of bands on their armor. All species are native to the Americas, where they inhabit a variety of different environments. Armadillos are characterized by a leathery armor shell and long, sharp claws for digging. They have short legs, but can move quite quickly. The average length of an armadillo is about , including its tail. The giant armadillo grows up to and weighs up to , while the pink fairy armadillo has a length of only . When threatened by a predator, ''Tolypeutes'' species frequently roll up into a ball; they are the only species of armadillo capable of this. Etymology The wor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southern Tamandua
The southern tamandua (''Tamandua tetradactyla''), also called the collared anteater or lesser anteater, is a species of anteater from South America and the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. It is a solitary animal found in many habitats, from mature to highly disturbed secondary forests and arid savannas. It feeds on ants, termites, and bees. Its very strong foreclaws can be used to break insect nests or to defend itself. Distribution and habitat The southern tamandua is found in Trinidad and throughout South America from Venezuela to northern Argentina, southern Brazil, and Uruguay at elevations up to . It inhabits both wet and dry forests, including tropical rainforest, savanna, and thorn scrub. It seems to be most common in habitats near streams and rivers, especially those thick with vines and epiphytes (presumably because its prey is common in these areas). The oldest fossil tamanduas date from the Pleistocene of South America, although genetic evidence suggests they m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
