Giant Anteater

GIANT ANTEATERMyrmecophaga Tridactyla

J.B. Hochstuhl

HABITAT Rainforests Grasslands mixed forest semiarid regions of Central and South

America

DIET ground-dwelling ants Termites army ants fruit Larvae

SIZE 40-48 in 28-35 in 44-90 lbs. (males slightly heavier than females) Small face Small eyes Long snout Large front legs and front claws Walk on knuckles to protect claws Long bushy tail Long coarse fur Narrow body Long tongue

HOUSING REQUIREMENTS at night, scrapes out a hollow hole in

soil to sleep, or uses an existing burrow of another animal

when it sleeps, it curls its bushy tail around it self

-helps keep warm -tail is almost as long as body

CLIMATE Warm weather

PREDATORS/PREY pumas jaguars

REPRODUCTION Pregnant 6 months Reproduce in 2-4 years One offspring

INTERESTING FACTS solitary animals except for breeding pairs or

mothers with offspring ignore one another territorial creatures ranges of up to 10 square miles claws are so sharp they are even able to kill a

jaguar Live up to 26 years in captivity

ENDANGERMENT Put on in 1982 Cars Hunting Killing for items

CONSERVATION The Sacramento Zoo works to educate the public Recycling

QUIZ1. When can they get pregnant?

2. Where do they live?

3. How long are their bodies?

4. How old do they get?

5. When were they put on the red list?

WORK CITED http://library.thinkquest.org/5053/South

America/giantanteater.html http://www.saczoo.org/Document.Doc?id

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