Meet Our Animals

The Brandywine Zoo proves that great things do come in small packages. The Zoo features animals from the tropical and temperate areas of North and South America, Asia and Africa. Our animals range from more common species to the highly endangered. All enjoy natural settings and welcome your visit to the zoo. Some animals may be off exhibit during cold weather.

Myrmecophaga tridactyla

Giant Anteater

Habitat

Grasslands, savannas, and open areas of tropical and dry forests

Geographic Region & Range

Found in South America.

Diet

Insectivore/Omnivore. Eat mostly termites, ants, soft-bodied grubs, and ripe fruit. In the zoo, they eat insectivore diet, soft fruits such as avocado and banana.

Physical Description

Gray overall, with a black stripe starting under the nose/chin and going to the middle of the back. The stripe is outlined in white, tan, or gray and extends down the front legs. Anteaters have poor eyesight and hearing but a very strong sense of smell, nearly forty times better than that of humans.

Lifespan

Natural Habitat: 14 years
Under Human Care: 26 years

Threats

Habitat loss is a large threat to anteater populations, as fires, agricultural production, and urbanization damage their grassland habitats. It is estimated that only 5,000 giant anteaters are left in the wilderness, while a small number (around 90) live in zoos in the US.

Status

Vulnerable

What are AZA Zoos doing for

Giant Anteater

Giant Anteaters are cooperatively managed in AZA Zoos and Aquariums through a Species Survival Plan (SSP).

Fun Facts

 A giant anteater‘s sense of smell is about 40 times greater than a human‘s.

 Anteaters are good swimmers, and will swim using a freestyle stroke and can use their long noses like a snorkel!

 Giant Anteaters are the largest of the four anteater species, reaching 6-8 feet in length from elongated nose to bushy tail.

 Though they have no teeth, Giant Anteaters have a roughly 2-foot-long tongue that sweeps up as many as 30,000 ants and termites every day!

 Giant Anteaters walk on their knuckles to protect their sharp front claws, which are used to rip open ant and termite nests.

Giant Anteater

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