Anteaters

species of mammal

Anteaters are the four extant mammal species in the suborder Vermilingua (meaning 'worm tongue'), commonly known for eating ants and termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together with sloths, they are within the order Pilosa. The name "anteater" is also commonly applied to the aardvark, numbat, echidnas, and pangolins, although they are not closely related to true anteaters.

The Myrmecophagidae are a family of anteaters. Two genera and three species are in the family, consisting of the giant anteater, and the tamanduas. The fossil Eurotamandua from the Messel Pit in Germany may be an early anteater, but its status is currently debated. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning "ant", and (''''), meaning "eater".

species of mammal

species of mammal

Tamandua is a genus of anteaters in the Myrmecophagidae family with two species: the southern tamandua (T. tetradactyla) and the northern tamandua (T. mexicana). They live in forests and grasslands, are semiarboreal, and possess partially prehensile tails. They mainly eat ants and termites, but they occasionally eat bees, beetles, and insect larvae. In captivity, they will eat fruits and meat.

species of mammal

The Cyclopedidae is a family of anteaters that includes the silky anteater and its extinct relative, Palaeomyrmidon.

Neotamandua is an extinct genus of anteaters that lived in the Miocene to Pliocene in South America.

Protamandua is an extinct genus of anteaters. Its closest living relatives are the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) and tamanduas (genus Tamandua). Fossils of Protamandua are restricted to the Santa Cruz Formation of Argentina. It may have been a common ancestor of Myrmecophaga and Tamandua.

Palaeomyrmidon is an extinct genus of anteater. Its closest living relative is the silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus). Although the silky anteater is arboreal, Palaeomyrmidon lived on the ground. Palaeomyrmidon is known from a fossil skull that was found in the Andalhualá Formation of Argentina.