Anteater Facts
An anteater is a mammal from a group of four living species with long snouts and sticky tongues, built for eating ants and termites.
- Class
- Mammal
About the anteater
The suborder that holds anteaters is called Vermilingua, which means 'worm tongue.' Every species has a stretched-out snout, a toothless little mouth and a thin tongue coated in sticky saliva. Big claws on the third toe of each front foot rip into ant and termite mounds, and dense fur covers the whole body.
Sizes vary a lot. The giant anteater averages around 2 m (6.6 ft) long and 33 kg (73 lb), with dark fur and a bold white-edged black band running from shoulder to chest. The silky anteater, at about 35 cm (14 in), is tiny by comparison, and the two tamanduas fall in between. Their closest relatives are sloths, then armadillos. Aardvarks and pangolins look similar only because they evolved the same tools for raiding termite mounds.
Did you know?
- In every anteater species except the giant anteater, the tail can grip like a hand.
- Echidnas, numbats and pangolins also get called anteaters, but they are not close relatives.
- Giant anteaters have the longest snouts for their size of any ant-eating mammal.
Questions about the anteater
How many kinds of anteaters are there?
Four living species: the giant anteater, the silky anteater, and the northern and southern tamanduas.
Do anteaters have teeth?
No. Their small mouths are toothless, so they rely on a long, sticky tongue to collect insects.
Sources
- Wikidata Q972452, checked October 8, 2026
- Wikipedia: Anteater, checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.