Anteater
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Anteater (disambiguation).
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 Northern Tamandua
(Tamandua mexicana) |
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Anteaters are the four mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua[1] commonly known for eating ants and termites.[2] Together with the sloths, they compose the order Pilosa. The name "anteater" is also colloquially applied to the unrelated antbear, numbat, echidna, and pangolin.
Species include the Giant Anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla, about 1.8 m (6 ft) long including the tail; the tamandua or collared Anteater Tamandua tetradactyla, about 90 cm (3 ft) long; and the Silky Anteater Cyclopes didactylus, about 35 cm (14 in.) long.
The term "spiny anteater" is used to refer to echidnas, which consist of the Tachyglossidae family of the order Monotremata.
[edit] Classification
Order Pilosa
- Suborder Folivora (sloths)
- Suborder Vermilingua
- Family Cyclopedidae
- Family Myrmecophagidae
[edit] Gallery
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vermilingua |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Vermilingua |
 A Giant Anteater |
 Anteater Tamandua mexicana in Corcovado, NP Costa Rica |
[edit] References
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