aka - Lesser Anteater

At home in the trees or on the ground

Most active at night

Small eyes and poor vision, but good sense of smell

Found in Central and South American forest and scrub habitat

Prehensile tail

Four toes on the front feet with extra-long claw on third toe

Long claws cause them to walk on the outside edges of front feet so claws don't dig into their feet

Claws used for defense and when digging for food

Diet in the wild includes ants and termites. May also eat honey and bees.

In captivity, known to eat fruit and meat, as well

Specialized mouth and tongue let tamanduas eat up to 9,000 ants in a single day!