The small species feed on arboreal insects that are found in small branches, while the large species penetrate the densely covered nests belonging to the terrestrial insects. Every species of the anteater has its own preferences of insects. All species of the anteater have a prehensile tail except the giant anteater species.Īnteaters have special features that enable them to feed exclusively on termites and ants. The long fur gives ample protection against attack from insects. The claws are also used to defend them against predators. The fore claws are large and curved enabling the anteater to tear the mounds of ants and termites. The mouth is tube shaped and has lips but teeth are not present. They have a well formed thin tongue that can extend to such a length that is more than the length of their head. The anteaters have snouts that are elongated in shape. They are the giant anteater, silky anteater and the tamanduas. While several anteaters are extinct now, only three have survived.

The anteaters are related closely to sloths and the armadillos are their next nearest relation. The northern tamandua also has the same size measurements. The extant species also include the Myrmecophaga tridactyla, which is the giant anteater that measures about 1.8m long along with the tail, the Cyclopes didactylus, which is the silky anteater measuring about 35cm long and the collared anteater, Tamandua tetradactyla, which is 1.2m long. The name anteater is generally given to the species like numbat, echidnas, aardvark, pangolins and also the members of Oecobiidae species. They belong to the order Pilosa along with the sloths. The names for the individual species differ according to the language used. Vermalingua means tongue and these mammals feed on ants and termites. Anteater is the common name given for the four mammal species that belong to the vermalingua suborder.

Giant anteater diet