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11:45 p.m. - 2005-05-04
Anteaters.
Greetings, Critter Luvrs!

I hope you are all well! Today marked the first time I've seen a pileated woodpecker in flight! Damn! But this entry is about an entirely different creature: The anteater.

My roommate D made the animal suggestion. Last week he was watching the PBS kiddie animal show, "Zoboomafoo". (We don't have cable.) Anyway, it is a great show, hosted by two *hot* brothers, Chris and Martin Kratt. Chris is an alumnus of Carleton College!

D said there was an anteater on the show, and it apparently enjoyed being tickled by the Kratt brothers! I believe D said he would enjoy similar attention from either of them....

Anteaters are alive and well in South America, and once were present up here. The problem is that it was 66 million years ago! Back then the continents were grouped into Laurasia, which was North America, Europe and Asia, and Gondwanaland, which was Africa, Antarctica, Australia, South America and the Indian subcontinent.

Xenartha were the precursors of modern South American anteaters, while Palaeanodonta roamed North America. In the Paleocene era, 65 to 54 million years ago, North and South America connected, and Palaeanodonta died out.

Side note: During the Paleocene era there were pelicans with a 20 foot wingspan!

So as you can see, anteaters are ancient. They're part of the Order Edentata (toothless), although there are members of that order (armadillos, sloths) with teeth. Anteaters are grouped in the family Myrmecophagidae, and are truly toothless.

Side note: Being toothless is a good thing on the Jerry Springer show, and if you're an anteater!

There are three genera of anteaters, each with just one species. The individual featured on "Zoboomafoo" was the tamandua (as it is called in Brazil, and is actually the genus; Tamandua tridactyla is the full name.)
The tamandua lives in trees, where it feeds on tree ants and other insectoids. In addition to licking bugs up with their long tongues, tamanduas lick their claws, and the sticky saliva can pick up ants, finger lickin' good style. They get up to about three feet long and weigh about 50 lbs.

The tiniest anteater is the Cyclopes genus, or pygmy anteater. They're the size of squirrels! Little is known about them, as they are nocturnal and live high up in the South American rainforest canopy. Pygmy anteaters are golden-colored and make squeaking noises.

Then, the biggest; the giant anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla. These strange looking dudes are up to seven feet long (from snout to tail) and weigh up to 100 lbs. A giant anteater can eat up to 30,000 insects in one day! Anteaters rely on their sense of smell to find ant and termite hills, and their sense of hearing to protect them from predators. These days the main danger to giant anteaters are people, but puma and jaguars are its natural enemies. Watch out for the anteaters giant claws and strong front legs, though! It can squeeze a puma to death, or inflict bad scratches. In fact, the anteater's claws are so big, it walks on the sides of its feet to protect them.

I'm not finding much about anteater love. Females give birth after 130 to 150 days gestation. The baby breastfeeds for six months, and stays with its mother for two years. The preferred mode of travel for baby anteaters is on Momma's back! Or hanging onto her tail, in the case of the tamandua!

Giant anteaters live up to 26 years and can travel 31 mph. Not bad for a cousin of the sloths!

So I guess, if you go to South America, keep your eyes peeled for anteaters! And if one starts squeezing you, try tickling it.


huggies,
Wendell!

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