Bizarre yet beautiful giant anteaters. These are always are delight to see in the Pantanal, Brazil. These large animals are 2.5m long from tail to snout and can weig more than 30kgs. Their remarkable tail is used to provide cover when sleeping and shade on hot days. Giant anteaters have poor eye sight and hearing but use an acute sense of smell to locate termites. Powerful fore legs with large hooked claws are used to access the rock solid termite mounds. Its 60cm tongue then does a remarkable job of slurping up the termites. When the soldier termites arrive the anteaters beat a hasty retreat since these insects bite. Thus only a small part of the termite colony is consumed and the giant anteater can return to the mound another day. In this way they maintain a sustainable source of food.
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