the anteaters is under the tooth-arms (Edentata), that really toothless. they developed in South America, where its oldest predecessors had immigrated at the beginning of the Tertiärs (approximately 65 million years ago) from North America. South America's long isolation during the almost entire Tertiärs made its high special-education as an ants and termite-glutton possible. Only as South America was connected again with the northern America on the end of the Tertiärs (two to three million years ago) of the land-bridge of Panama, they advanced also until Central America. Today, its spread of South-Mexico extends to Paraguay.
Types From the eight types originated in the course of the long tribal-history, three still are remaining today, namely Myrmecophaga, Tamandua and Cyclopes. The first is it from them by far the biggest and purely ground-living while the two others turned into tree-inhabitants after development of its family-characteristics, presumably as adaptation at once regular floods of its residential-forests.
Big anteater The type Myrmecophaga contains only one type, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, the big anteater, that measures 160-210 cm from the muzzle-top until the tail-end and gains a weight between 30 and 35 kg, with what the males usually are bigger than the females.
Physique A powerful one closes at the high-re-y torso, that stands on middle-high, stocky legs, itself forward rejuvenating neck at, that without sales into a narrow one, itself into a long tubular muzzle verschmälernden head changes. The border of the head is marked only by the small, round ears. The eyes and the mouth-column are small. The body is full and densely with middle-reaches, harsh hair, that is short and fine at the head, covers longer from there to the back becomes and reaches 40 cm at the 65-90 cm long tail. Therefore, the tail like a type gigantic crest looks.
The long-stretched, thin, tubular jaws are completely toothless and leave only a small mouth-opening approximately 1 m long, thin, worm-shaped to the Durchtritt of this, sharpens, with gluey phlegm covered and very movable tongue, that can be stuck out until 60 cm far, to. Saliva-glands deliver the large saliva-quantities required to the continuous ants and Termitenauflecken. The front-foot possesses 5 toes, of which the 3. unduly strongly it is developed and a 10 cm long powerful sickle-claw carries. The claws are smashed in inside when going, and the animal is supported by the ankles and the front-foot-outside-edge. The rear-foot appears with whole, bare sole.
Way of life The big anteater is only at the ground. Forests, wetlands and bush-existed savannas are its habitat. Here it moves slowly as a loner and thinks, with the muzzle at the ground after Kerbtieren sniffs, the tail horizontal. With danger, it also can bump, however, gallops and progresses so considerably fast. it is peaceful nature and doesn't attack from itself from. Driven into the narrowness, it places himself on the hind legs and distributes powerful claw-blows, that tear big wounds and are feared dog, puma and jaguar, by its main-enemies, human being.
In human-drains or - poor areas is it active mainly during the day, in populous, it turns into the night-animal. it doesn't have any solid precinct but lives as a nomad. it sees only wise well, hears keenly and locates quiet sounds exactly on 5 m, the best its sense of smell is however developed.
Nutrition its constantly sniffing nose amounts finished Kerbtiere crawling at the ground, that it catches with the tongue far penetrating into each crevice. Ants and termites form its main-food, whose constructions it with its muscular ones, großbekrallten arms rips in order to load the Klebezunge again and again (up to 160-once in 1 minutes and up to 30 000 singles-animals on the day) with the swarming animals. When moving in of the tongue, directional Hornpapillen scrape off the loot at palates and cheek-pleats to the back so that it can be swallowed. The stomach-walls then pulverize it. Beside ants and termites, it eats other soft Kerbtiere, Kerbtierlarven, worms and even berries.
Reproduction The female becomes brünstig approximately twice unfertilized in the year. The male covers it from the back. The Tragzeit amounts to approximately 190 days. The only kid, it will bear as full-developed run-young and immediately climbs the mother on the back. Lying on the side, the old lets it sucked and licks it clean on that occasion. The young is colored like the mother, has a white back-stripe however additionally, that fits their white flank-strip-hem for it when sitting on Mutters backs, so that it is to be discovered only heavily. The young often trills light and short; the adults are mute. If necessary the young admittedly already starts after one month to gallop, is carried however still long, goes round the bend fully with one year and lives.
Endangering Through Bejagung, above all however through country-cultivation, the big anteater is endangered in its natural surroundings. it is subject to the protection through the Washingtoner Artenschutzübereinkommen.
Tamanduas (type Tamandua)) Tamanduas are represented in two types, the northern and the southern Tamandua (Tamandua mexicana and Tamandua tetradactyla).
Spread Ersterer is from South-Mexico through Central America to Colombia, Ecuador and North-Peru and spreads as far as to the Andes-comb eastward, more final in the remaining South America of the Andes-comb east and southwards until North-Argentina, North-Uruguay, southeast-Brazil as well as on Trinidad.
Drawing Both types carry a short, dense and harsh fur, with what the northern Tamandua usually shows a west-shaped dark torso-drawing, with which the west-back is wedge-shaped plunging, on light underground. Occur uniformly black, brown beside it until lohfarbene animals. However, the drawing of the southern Tamandua is very different in its spread-area. Animals with vest come only in the southeast of the spread, black from the eastern Andes-foot in Peru and Ecuador and along the Amazon before. Otherwise, there are also unbewestete animals. Muzzle-top, ears, hand and soles as well as Z. T. the tail is bare with both types. The Behaarung of the tail decreases strongly from the root as far as to the top so that the Beschuppung appears.
Way of life The Tamanduas's habitats are forest and savanna-forest. it is mainly on trees as a loner, however, where its gripping-tail helps it, hobbles also on the ground around, cannot gallop, however. it rests in tree-caves, that more frequently it usually at night, however, also already in the late-night-afternoon leaves, and comes back occasionally also only in the morning-dawn. it eats tree and ground-ants and termites (up to 500 g on the day) mainly, whose nests and constructions it rips open with its powerful arms.
Enemies The Tamandua is as peaceful as the big anteater. its natural enemies are cats and gripping-birds, above all however the human being, that kills it willfully. To the defense, it straightens up and extends the arms, at the ground, it looks for backing on that occasion at a tree or rock. If the opponent approaches on reach, it slams with the hand-claws, wedges in the composed one with them with big strength and attaches importance the enemy to distance so. With it faucht it (single tone, that is to be heard from it) and throws on the back if necessary in order to demur with the legs as well. With arousal, the anal-glands stream in smelling secretion unpleasantly after musk from.
Reproduction Over the reproduction, it is only known that the female per throw gets only a run-young, that climbs on the mother and is carried by her long, with what it is taken off her with its food-search on a branch however soon.
Dwarf-anteater The third type Cyclopes contains only one type, Cyclopes didactylus, the dwarf-anteater. it is the smallest by far under its relatives and not bigger than a rat. its head-torso-length measures 15,3-17,8 cm, its tail-length 17,8-20,3 cm, and its weight is approximately 400 g. In the shape, it resembles the Tamandua, however, a shorter and thicker muzzle with bigger mouth-split has and a tail better trained to grasping. Hands and feet serve in the Gezweig as gripping-tools with the mountaineering. The 2 is at the hand. and 3. Fingers the longest and together heals, that in 1. and 4. it is so small that they are not visible externally, and that 5. be missing completely. A very big palm-cushion serves as supports of the claws when grasping. Similarly, also the only four-toe-y foot has an extensive, bone-supported sole-cushion as gripping-supports. The downy one, writes poetry, somewhat frizzy fur shows a gold-yellow one until reddish-brown sound with a dark eel-line from head to croup.
Spread, habitat The dwarf-anteater is from South-Mexico until Bolivia and in the southern Brazil, however only spreads as far as to the foot of the Andes westward. its habitat is the forest, because it is only in treetops. it has a stunning similarity on that occasion in color and fur with the seed-tufts of the silk-wool-tree (Ceiba pentandra) often visited by it. This adaptation protects it well against its air-enemies like harpy, eagle-hawks and glasses-codgers.
Way of life The peaceful dwarf-anteater climbs leisurely on the search of ants and termites, whose nest and constructions it rips and licks up its passengers, through the Gezweig at night. During the day, it rolls up himself asleep in a branch-fork or tree-cave. If it is attacked, so it anchors himself with its gripping-tail, straightens up to the defense and slams with its sharp claws.
Reproduction Nothing known almost is over the reproduction. The female places a run-young like with the other both types, that as well as as also carried from it from the male occasionally and is fed by both with broken forth Kerbtierbrei. The type seems after it to live in pairs at least during the Jungenaufzuchtzeit. The young is also put down in a tree-cave upholstered with dry leaves temporarily. Only one tone the type is a quiet Pfeifzischen.
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