| Anteater Temporal range: Early Miocene-present | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Giant anteater | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Pilosa |
| Suborder: | Vermilingua Illiger, 1811 |
| Families | |
An anteater is a mammal of the family Myrmecophagidae and the suborder Vermilingua. Anteaters live in South America and Central America.
Anteaters eat ants and termites. They have long, sharp claws and a long, sticky tongue. The tongue can be up to 60 cm long, as long as a person's arm. The anteater opens an ant nest with its claws. Then it licks up the ants with its tongue.
Large anteaters that move on the ground knuckle-walk, bending their front toes under when they move the way gorillas do. Small anteaters that live in trees do not do this.
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