Instantly recognizable as one of the strangest mammals in existence, the Giant Anteater is undoubtedly among the oddest and most fascinating animals anywhere. With its bizarre tubular muzzle, incredibly long tongue, large bushy tail and strikingly marked pelage, the Giant Anteater, or Ant Bear, is highly evolved for its terrestrial life in the grasslands and forests of Central and South America.
That incredibly long tongue can reach lengths of up to two feet, which gives it the unusual distinction of having the longest tongue to body length ratio of any animal! It is sticky and covered in papillae (backward curving spikes), making it the perfect tool for collecting ants and termites. A Giant Anteater may eat up to 35,000 ants and termites every day.
While having a wide range throughout the Neotropics, the Giant Anteater is listed as Vulnerable, and has disappeared from large parts of its former range due to habitat loss and hunting. It does have a few strongholds left in South America, and the Pantanal region is certainly one of those, a place where one can still hope to find this intriguing and bizarre creature.
Our upcoming Brazil Neotropical Mammals Tour in 2019 will be visiting the Pantanal, which is well-known as the best place to see the incredible but normally very elusive megafauna of South America. In addition to Giant Anteater, we hope to see an amazing selection of large mammals here, including Jaguar, Giant Otter, Ocelot, Capybara and all sorts of other possibilities besides. We will also visit some well-preserved Amazonian rainforest, where we hope to encounter several species of primate along with Brazilian Tapir. There is simply no better tour to see the large mammals of South America.
