Giant Anteater
The ways of the anteater
Introduction
Appearance
What does the giant anteater look like? The giant anteater has a long, purple worm-like tongue that is 24 inches long. A human tongue is four inches long. The creature has a snout shaped like a tube with a pencil-like mouth. It has small black eyes and small ears but a nose that is 40 times stronger than a human. Giant anteaters have a big, bushy tail. They have a long, black stripe over their shoulder and are covered with brown fur. They have white fur on the feet. They are born six inches long and grows up to be 49 inches in length. The animal is born 6 ounces in weight, then grows up to be 86 pounds. It has sharp curved claws about three inches long, and their tongue is 24 inches long. A human tongue is just four inches long.
Habitat
Prey
What do giant anteaters eat? Giant anteaters spend most of their day hunting for food. Giant anteaters mainly eat ants and termites, but their favorite food is carpenter ants. It can flick its’ tongue 150-160 times or more a minute to help it get their prey faster.They have no teeth which means they swallow their food. The giant anteater can consume 35,000 ants or termites in a single day.
The Friends and Predators
What are the friends and predators of the giant anteater? There are only four species of anteaters: the giant anteater, the pygmy anteater, the tamandua anteater, and the silky anteater. The predators of the giant anteater are mainly jaguars, and mountain lions, but we humans are also predators. Humans use giant anteaters for money and decoration. Giant anteaters are killed for rugs, for their heads to display there on there walls, for coats, and finally to use there claws for necklaces.
Conclusion
I told you about the appearance, prey, habitat, and the friends and enemies.The questions were, What does the giant anteater look like? Where do giant anteaters live? What do giant anteaters eat? What are the friends and predators of the giant anteater?
Bibliography
National Geographic Book of Mammals. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1981. Print.
Parker, Edward. Rain Forest Mammals. Austin, TX.: Steck-Vaughn, 2003. Print.
Seiple, Samantha, and Todd Seiple. Giant Anteaters. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications, 2008. Print.
"The Online Anteater: Giant Anteater Information, Pictures, Links, and More!" The Online Anteater: Giant Anteater Information, Pictures, Links, and More! Web. 19 Feb. 2016.