Giant Anteaters. In Brazil’s Pantanal, the Giant Anteater must be one of the strangest yet most impressive of creatures. At Pousada Aguape, in the Southern Pantanal we were lucky enough to see several Anteaters reasonably close.
The Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is an insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. The giant anteater is up to 215 cm in length and weighs up to 50 kg. Easily recognizable with its long snout, bushy tail, long fore claws, and beautifully colored coat. It feeds mostly on ants and termites. It uses its powerful claws to dig them up and its long, sticky tongue to harvest them.