Tamanduas eat many kinds of ants, as well as termites
and bees. They tend to shy away from army ants and
ponerine ants, both of which give nasty stings. When
threatened, a tamandua may sit up on its hind legs and
brandish its sharply curved claws (plate 16- 41). Be aware
that such behavior forecasts a potentially dangerous
encounter for anything or anyone that bothers this
anteater. Its forearms are strong, and the claws are
formidable. The animal my look innocuous, but it isn’t.
The ground- dwelling Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga
tridactyla; plate 16- 42) is much larger than the tamandua
anteaters. Its body measures about 1.2 m (4 ft) in length,
and its huge bushy tail adds almost another meter (3.3
ft). Its head is shaped like a long funnel, with eyes and
ears placed well back of the small mouth, from which can
protrude a 51 cm (20 in) sticky tongue. The grayish- black
coat color is marked on each side by a broad black stripe
lined with white. The body terminates in an immensely
thick, ragged tail. Like those of the tamandua, the front
claws are curved and sharp, an adaptation to digging
into the hardened ant and termite nests that contain the
anteater’s dinner. The Giant Anteater ranges through
Amazonia and southern Central America, though it
is now rare throughout much of its range. The animal
remains common along forest edge and in savanna
areas such as the Llanos of Venezuela and the Pantanal
of Brazil. Like the tamandua, the Giant Anteater will
rear up and brandish its sickle- shaped, sharpened front
claws if danger threatens.
A fourth anteater species is the Silky or Pygmy
Anteater (Cyclopes didactylus; plate 16- 43). Smallest of
the four, it reaches only 46 cm (18 in) in length. Don’t
count on finding one of these little creatures, for they are
nocturnal and arboreal, climbing about in thick lianas.
They have soft golden- buffy fur, short snouts and claws,
and a prehensile tail. Their large black eyes testify to
their nocturnal habits. They are known to eat only ants.
The other members of the Xenarthra are the ubiquitous
armadillos (Dasypodidae), of which there are several
species. One, the Nine- banded Armadillo (Dasypus
novemcinctus; plate 8- 43), ranges into southeastern
North America and is expanding its range northward.
Armadillos are slow- moving ground dwellers, whose
hard bony skin protects them from most predators.
When attacked, they curl up in a tight ball with their
vulnerable soft parts tucked in. Mostly nocturnal, they
are quite common, especially in savannas, and they feed
on a variety of insects and other arthropods. The largest
species is the Giant Armadillo (Priodontes maximus) a Plate 16- 43. Silky Anteater. Photo by James Adams.
Plate 16- 42. The Giant Anteater is quite simply one of the most
remarkable- looking animals on Earth. This one hastens across
a road in Brazil. Photo by John Kricher.338 chapter 16 from monkeys to tarantulas: endless eccentricities