The largest anteater, and one of the strangest-looking animals on Earth, the giant anteater is an ant and termite specialist with an amazingly long tongue and powerful claws.

Life span
Up to 26 years in captivity.

Statistics
1-1.3m long, with a 65-90cm tail. Giant anteaters weigh 22-40kg with males being about 20 per cent heavier than females.

Physical description
Giant anteaters are one of the strangest-looking animals. They have a very long, narrow head (to house their long sticky tongue), very long claws on short, stout legs, and a long bushy tail. They are covered with coarse hair which is long and shaggy on the underside and tail. Their coat is mostly grey with bold black and cream markings. Their long claws means that they have to walk on the sides of their feet with their claws curled up.

Distribution
Central America, South America east of the Andes as far south as Uruguay and North West Argentina.

Habitat
Tropical forests, open woodland and dry savannah.

Diet
Ants and termites.

Behaviour
Mainly solitary, the giant anteater roams a home range large enough to contain enough ant and termite nests to feed it. They rest in a scooped-out hollow for up to 15 hours per day, covering themselves with their tail. Their vision is quite poor, and they mainly use scent to find their prey. They dig a small hole in the ant or termite nest and use an extraordinary set of tongue and jaw movements to lick up the workers as they are exposed. They can stick their very long and very sticky tongue out as many as 150 times a minute. They are choosy about their prey, though, and carefully avoid the aggressive soldier ants.

Reproduction
Giant anteaters mate in the autumn and give birth the following spring after a gestation of 190 days. The female gives birth standing up, using her tail as an extra support. Usually there is only one offspring, although twins are known. The young crawl onto the mother's back and are carried for up to a year. They are weaned at 6 months, and can gallop after only one month, but they remain with the mother for up to two years, when they become sexually mature.

Conservation status
They are listed as Vulnerable, because of hunting for trophies or by animal dealers, and habitat destruction.

Voice
Giant anteaters can bellow if alarmed but are otherwise usually silent.

Records
Giant anteaters have the lowest metabolic rate of any placental mammal, being recorded at 32.7 degrees Centigrade. Marsupials and monotremes can have lower body temperatures than this.