Animal of the Week - Anteater

Wednesday
anteater craft

Thursday
Animal questions

what do they eat? The anteater is a mammal that uses its long, sticky tongue to eat ants and termites whole. anteaters have no teeth. their tongue can get up to 20 inches long (giant anteater. they will also eat very ripe fruit.

do other animals try to eat them? yes, pumas and jaguars

what is their skin like? anteaters are furry

what color are they? Its coarse hair may be gray or brown, with a white-banded black stripe running along the body

hatch or born? born. one baby is born at a time. after 140 days of gestation.

what are they like as babies? they like to ride on their mother's back for about 9 months. they nurse for about 2 months.

can they be a pet? yes. anteaters are very friendly. they need plenty of space to roam though.

what senses do they use? anteaters have poor eyesight but very good sense of smell and hearing.
what size are they? anteaters vary in size from squirrel-sized to 7 feet long. they can weight up to 110lbs.

other description? their claws can be up to 7 inches long.their tails are 28-35 inches long.

do boys and girl look different? Male and female anteaters look so alike that females can only be identified when they are accompanied by their babies

habits? can sleep for up to 16 hours a day wrapping their tails around themselves like a blanket. they are woken up easily though. some are awake during the day and some are nocturnal.

Friday
Anteater Habitat Questions

land, air, sea? anteaters live on land but can swim very well.

what is their habitat like? small anteaters live in trees and hop from branch to branch like squirrels.

what other (of the same) animals live around them? anteaters live by themselves. except for mothers with babies

what other (different) animals live around them? Rainforests are populated with insects (like butterflies and beetles), arachnids (like spiders and ticks), worms, reptiles (like snakes and lizards), amphibians (like frogs and toads), birds (like parrots and toucans) and mammals (like sloths and jaguars).

where do they live on the map/globe? live in Central or South America

what is that place like? tropical rainforest and grasslands

what is it's weather like there? it is almost always raining. always between 75*-80*


Resources:
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/giant-anteater.html
<--- this one has a place to click to listen to what an anteater sounds like
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Amazonia/Facts/fact-anteater.cfm
http://www.thebigzoo.com/Animals/Giant_Anteater.asp
http://www.arkive.org/giant-anteater/myrmecophaga-tridactyla/
http://gomestic.com/pets/why-anteaters-could-be-the-perfect-pet-for-you/
http://www.curator.org/legacyvmnh/WebOfLife/Kingdom/P_Chordata/ClassMammalia/ClassMammalia/OrderXenarthra/giant_anteater.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/5053/SouthAmerica/giantanteater.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/rainforest/