anteater: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	Vermilingua

Photos and Videos

A giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) with a long snout and bushy tail forages with its claws in a fallen log on grassy ground in the Pantanal Wetlands, Brazil.

Illustration of a giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) showing its long, bushy tail, elongated snout with a protruding tongue, and distinctive black and white markings along its shoulder and side. A scale bar above indicates length in centimeters and inches.

A lesser anteater, or southern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla), climbs along a tree branch in the rainforest, with its black and white fur visible against a green background.

lesser anteater

A giant anteater with a long snout and bushy tail stands on green grass in the Pantanal wetlands, surrounded by tall vegetation.

Observe a giant anteater using its long muzzle and wormlike tongue to eat and drink

A tamandua, or lesser anteater, extends its long tongue. Overlaid text reads "16 inch TONGUE" with an arrow pointing to the tongue. Forest background.

The fascinating world of silky anteaters

A pangolin walks through grass with a blue circle around it and the word endangered written in white across the image.

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

southern tamandua giant anteater silky anteater Pilosa sloth

Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

Nine-Banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus).

A Is for Animal Quiz

Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)

Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz

Lion (panthera leo)

Deadliest Animals Quiz

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Animal Group Names

The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is seen in Switzerland on December 2024

Animal Factoids