Anteaters are fascinating insect-eating mammals, but they are not native to the United States. This article will clarify where anteaters are indeed found and explore why certain animals within the U.S. might sometimes be mistaken for them.
Anteaters Across the Americas
Anteaters are primarily found in Central and South America, inhabiting diverse environments such as tropical forests, grasslands, and savannas. There are four extant species, each with unique characteristics: the Giant Anteater, the Northern Tamandua, the Southern Tamandua, and the Silky Anteater. These mammals are part of the superorder Xenarthra, which also includes sloths and armadillos.
The Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is the largest species, reaching lengths of up to 6 to 8 feet, including its long, bushy tail, and weighing between 60 and 100 pounds. It possesses a distinctive long snout and a tongue that can extend up to 2 feet, capable of flicking in and out up to 150 times per minute to capture ants and termites. Giant Anteaters are mostly terrestrial, using powerful claws to break open insect nests.
The Northern Tamandua (Tamandua mexicana) and Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) are smaller, semi-arboreal anteaters, typically measuring around 4 feet long. They have prehensile tails, which aid them in climbing trees, and a shorter snout compared to the Giant Anteater. Their diet also consists of ants and termites, which they access both on the ground and in trees. The smallest species, the Silky Anteater (Cyclopes didactylus), is nocturnal and exclusively arboreal, rarely descending from trees. It has soft, silky fur that helps it camouflage within its tree habitat.
Animals Sometimes Confused with Anteaters
In the United States, animals like the armadillo are often confused with anteaters, though they are distinct species. Armadillos are part of the Xenarthra superorder, sharing a common lineage with anteaters and sloths. The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is the only armadillo species found widely in the southern United States.
Armadillos are recognized by their unique armor-like shell, composed of bony plates covered in keratinized skin. This shell provides protection, a feature absent in anteaters. While armadillos also have long snouts and strong claws for digging, which can lead to confusion, their diet is more varied than that of anteaters, including insects, small vertebrates, and plant matter. Anteaters, conversely, are specialized insectivores, relying almost exclusively on ants and termites.
Armadillos typically have poor eyesight but an acute sense of smell, which they use to locate food and dig burrows. Their legs are short, but they can move quickly, and some species can even roll into a ball for defense.