anteater

The anteater is a relative of the sloths, armadillos, and pangolins. There are four species, native to South and Central America. The giant anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla is 1.8 m/6 ft long with an elongated face, hairy coat, and bushy tail. It lives in forests and in savannah regions.

Mammal of the family Myrmecophagidae, order Edentata, native to Mexico, Central America, and tropical South America. The anteater lives almost entirely on ants and termites. It has toothless jaws, an extensile tongue, and claws for breaking into the nests of its prey.

Species include the giant anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla, about 1.8 m/6 ft long including the tail, the tamandua or collared anteater Tamandua tetradactyla, about 90 cm/3.5 ft long, and the silky anteater Cyclopes didactyla, about 35 cm/14 in long. The name is also incorrectly applied to the aardvark, the echidna, and the pangolin.