All About The Giant, Lesser, And Silky Anteaters

By Author: Cody Watson
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Anteaters, or antbears, are exotic mammals that belong to the category of Vermilingua (meaning “worm tongue”). These species predominantly feed on ants (which is the reason why they have got their name) and termites. The anteaters are among the endangered animals in the world. There are three main types of anteaters in the world. Most of you would have seen TV programs about anteaters using any of the popular cable connections such as the FiOS TV. However, given below are detailed information on the interesting animal.

Giant anteaters
As the name itself suggests, the giant anteater is the biggest species of anteater. The giant anteaters are capable of growing to great heights ranging from about five feet to seven feet if measured from their tail to the nose. They are known for their lengthy tongues that alone can measure upto 50cms. The giant anteaters are predominant inhabitants of the South American countries. They can also be spotted in the Southern parts of Belize and the Northern parts of Argentina. They love populating regions such as the savanna grasslands, woodlands, and wet forest regions. As far as ...
... the food habit of the giant anteaters is concerned, they are capable of eating 25,000- 30,000 insects in a day.

Tamandua or Lesser Anteater
These species of anteaters have flexible prehensile hairless tails and their bodies are generally covered with thick fur seen in light brown or gray. They spend most of their time on the trees. The Tamandua is further categorized as Southern and Northern Tamandua. The former can be spotted in the South American region while the latter can be seen in the Southeastern regions of Mexico and in Central America. The Northern Tamandua can be differentiated from the Southern by virtue of its blackish ‘V-shaped’ fur on the body. The Tamandua is capable of eating upto 9000 insects and termites in a day.

The Silky or Pygmy Anteater
The silky anteaters are the smallest of the species of anteaters. Their tails are kind of prehensile but not as strong as the Tamandua’s. The name ‘silky’ is mainly because of the fact that they resemble or correspond to the seeds and pods of the silk cotton trees found in the rainforests areas. The Pygmy Anteater can eat upto 8000 insects in a day.

Anteaters as pets
Though the anteaters (that prefer to live in the wild) may look awkward and weird in their peculiar appearance, they have also been accepted by pets in a lot of households. Pet owners of the anteaters have never complained about the character or nature of these exotic animals. They feel that the anteaters are good to be housed as pets just like the dogs and cats though each has different own lifestyle. If you wish to have them as your pets then given below are some interesting pieces of information about the anteaters as pets.

The anteaters are friendly to their pet owners but can also be very demanding at times. They are generally expressive in their love and affection and in turn expect the same from them. So, anteaters are among the most expressive pets you can ever find. If you don’t give them the kind of attention they expect, then you are more likely to hear your pets raising hissing noises to turn your attention to them.

Though the anteaters like to feed on thousands of ants every day, it doesn’t mean that you have to break your head on finding the huge quantities of ants for them. The ants and insects in your landscape is just enough for their basic diet. They can also be fed upon with a diet consisting of raw vegetables, fruits, blue cheese, spinach, avocados, thyme etc. However, make sure that the diet doesn’t have sugar content as they are not good for their health. The anteaters can be kept in a spacious cage in your home. Adding playful stuff like ropes, pillows, toys, blankets would be good to pep up their mood.

Cody is a freelance writer and a blogger. He writes on all kinds of topics encompassing health, fitness, entertainment, tourism, environment and pets. He spends his leisure at home watching channels like Animal Planet and Discovery with his cable connection powered by FiOS TV.