Giant anteaters

Giant anteaters- Anteaters are my favourite animals and I am very sad to hear that they are on the IUCN red list of threatened species. The giant anteater is vulnerable and is the most endangered one.

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Superorder:	Xenarthra
Order:	Pilosa
Suborder:	Vermilingua
Family:	Myrmecophagidae
Genus:	Myrmecophaga Linnaeus, 1758
Species:	M. tridactyla
Binomial name
Myrmecophaga tridactyla Linnaeus, 1758
Giant Anteater range (blue — extant, orange — possibly extinct)

The Giant Anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, is the largest species of anteater. It is the only species in the genus Myrmecophaga. It is found in Central and South America from Honduras to northern Argentina.Its fossil remains have been found as far north as northwestern Sonora, Mexico. It is a solitary animal, found in many habitats, including grasslands, deciduous forests and rainforests. It feeds mainly on ants and termites, sometimes up to 30,000 insects in a single day. The genus name Myrmecophaga is from Greek murmekos, ant, and phagein, to eat.

Breeding interval: Giant anteaters can breed as often as every 9 months, though it is often longer. Breeding season: Giant anteaters may breed year round, or seasonally depending on region. Number of offspring: 1 (average) Gestation period: 190 days (average) Time to weaning: 6 months (average) Time to independence: 24 months (average) Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 2.50 to 4 years Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2.50 to 4 years Giant anteaters eat ants, termites and soft-bodied grubs. Using the long, sharp claws on their forelimbs, they open insect colonies and tree trunks. They then use the tongue to collect the eggs, larvae, and adult insects. The salivary glands secrete sticky saliva during feeding that coats the tongue. They only stay at one ant colony for a short period of time to avoid soldier ants, but giant anteaters can consume a few thousand insects in minutes. The tongue is attached to the sternum and moves very quickly, flicking 150 times per minute. They will eat fruit and birds' eggs on occasion.

List of Threats: 1 Residential & commercial development 1.1 Housing & urban areas 2 Agriculture & aquaculture 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops 2.1.3 Agro-industry farming 4 Transportation & service corridors 4.1 Roads & railroads 5 Biological resource use 5.1 Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals 5.1.1 Intentional use (species is the target) 5.1.3 Persecution/control 7 Natural system modifications 7.1 Fire & fire suppression 7.1.3 Trend Unknown/Unrecorded