Marsupial anteater, or nambat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is a mammal of the family of marsupial anteaters, lives in. The marsupial anteater inhabits mainly eucalyptus and acacia forests and dry woodlands.
The dimensions of the marsupial anteater are small: body length is 17-27 cm, tail - 13-17 cm, the weight of an adult animal ranges from 280 to 550 g. The head of the marsupial anteater is flattened, the muzzle is elongated and pointed, the mouth is small. The worm-shaped tongue can protrude almost 10 cm from the mouth, the eyes are large, the ears are pointed, the tail is long and fluffy, like a squirrel. The paws of the marsupial anteater are rather short, widely spaced with strong claws, the forelimbs have 5 fingers, the hind limbs have 4 fingers.

The marsupial anteater is one of the most beautiful marsupials of Australia: It is colored greyish-brown or reddish. The fur on the back and upper thighs is covered with 6-12 white or cream stripes. The eastern nambats have a more uniform coloration than the western ones. A black longitudinal stripe is visible on the muzzle. The belly and limbs are yellow-white, buffy.

The teeth of the marsupial anteater are very small, weak and often asymmetrical: the molars on the right and left can have different lengths and widths, in total the marsupial anteater has 50-52 teeth. The hard palate extends much further than in most mammals, which is typical for other “long-tongued” animals (pangolins, armadillos).

The marsupial anteater feeds almost exclusively on termites, less often on ants, and eats other invertebrates only accidentally. It is the only marsupial that feeds only on social insects; in captivity, the marsupial anteater eats up to 20 thousand termites every day. The marsupial anteater searches for food using its extremely acute sense of smell. With the claws of its front paws, it digs up the soil or breaks rotten wood, then catches termites with its sticky tongue, swallowing the prey whole or after slightly chewing the chitinous shells.

The marsupial anteater is quite agile and can climb trees; at the slightest danger he hides in cover. It spends the night in secluded places (shallow burrows, tree hollows) on a bed of bark, leaves and dry grass. His sleep is very deep, similar to suspended animation. There are many cases where people, along with dead wood, accidentally burned a marsupial anteater that did not have time to wake up.

With the exception of the breeding season, marsupial anteaters remain solitary, occupying an individual territory of up to 150 hectares. When caught, the marsupial anteater does not bite or scratch, but only whistles abruptly or grumbles.
The mating season for nambats lasts from December to April. At this time, males leave their hunting areas and go in search of females, marking trees and the ground with an oily secretion produced by a special skin gland on the chest.
Tiny (10 mm long), blind and hairless cubs are born 2 weeks after mating. There are 2-4 cubs in a litter. Since the female does not have a brood pouch, they hang on the nipples, clinging to the mother’s fur. According to some reports, birth occurs in a hole 1-2 m long. The female carries the cubs on her stomach for about 4 months, until their size reaches 4-5 cm. Then she leaves the offspring in a shallow hole or hollow, continuing to come at night to feed.

By the beginning of September, young numbats begin to leave the hole for a short time. By October, they switch to a mixed diet of termites and mother's milk. The young remain with their mother for up to 9 months, finally leaving her in December. Puberty occurs in the second year of life.

Due to economic development and land clearing, the number of marsupial anteater has sharply decreased. However, the main reason for the decrease in its numbers is the persecution of predators. Due to their diurnal lifestyle, marsupial anteaters are more vulnerable than most small marsupials; they are hunted predator birds, dingoes, feral dogs and cats and especially red foxes.

Marsupial anteater (lat. Myrmecobius fasciatus) is the only representative of the family of the same name living in Australia. Locals Its name is nambat and is considered one of the most colorful animals on the continent.

The back of the marsupial anteater is decorated with cream or white stripes in the amount of 6 to 12 pieces. The eyes are lined with black arrows, and the paws are “dressed” in light red socks. The rest of the fur is grayish-brown or reddish in color.

The nambat is a small animal with an elongated body measuring 17 to 23 cm and a fluffy thin tail 13 to 17 cm long. It has a flattened head with a pointed muzzle and a small mouth.

The ears are sharp, the eyes are large. A long, worm-like ten-centimeter tongue serves as the main tool for extracting its main food - termites. Other insects can enter the numbat's stomach only by accident.

Since the short legs of the marsupial anteater are rather weak and do not have strong and sharp claws that can destroy the walls of the termite mound, it has to look for its prey in the bark of trees or at a short distance underground. That is why numbats lead a diurnal or twilight lifestyle, adapting to the daily routine of termites.

These small predators have an incredibly sensitive sense of smell, which allows them to instantly detect insects. Smelling the smell of a delicacy, the marsupial anteater sits on its hind legs and quickly digs up the soil with its front legs or tears rotten wood into pieces. Then, with quick movements of its flexible tongue, it pulls out the termites one by one and swallows them almost entirely, only slightly chewing them.

Although the nambat has about fifty teeth, they are all very small and weak, so it does not pose a danger to humans. Moreover, when the animal is keen on eating food, you can easily pet it or even pick it up - and it does not scratch or bite, but only grumbles with displeasure.

Marsupial anteaters live alone, meeting only to mate. a short time summer, which is known to begin in December in Australia. Literally after a couple of weeks, the female gives birth to two to four tiny nambatics, only 1 cm in size.

Despite the name, their mother does not have a brood pouch, so the babies are forced to independently make their way to one of her four nipples in order to cling to it and not let go for as long as 3-4 months.

When the body length of the cubs reaches 5 cm, the mother leaves them in a shallow burrow or spacious hollow, returning to them to feed only at night. At the beginning of September, nambatiks begin to explore the surroundings and switch to a mixed diet, consisting of nourishing mother's milk and termites. At 9 months they finally leave their mother, but they become old enough to continue the family only in the second year of life. The lifespan of a nambat is about 6 years.

flickr/Morland Smith

The Australian anteater has interesting feature: at night he sleeps in a truly heroic sleep, falling into a kind of suspended animation. In this state the foxes find him and - natural enemies nimble animal. In addition, there are cases where people accidentally burned sleepy animals without noticing them in the pile of dead wood collected for the fire.

All this put the marsupial anteater in a very vulnerable position. It is an endangered species and is listed in the International Red Book. The Australian authorities are doing everything possible to preserve this unique representative of the local fauna.

Family marsupial anteaters Familia Myrmecobiidae
Genus marsupial anteaters myrmecobius
Myrmecobius fasciatus Waterhouse, 1836 (IV, 10)

Why is it listed in the Red Book?

Endangered. Numbers unknown, but have been declining sharply since the mid-1970s. The reasons for its decline are not entirely clear, but, apparently, are associated with human changes in the marsupial anteater’s habitat and with the introduction of predators - foxes and feral cats.

How to find out

Body length 17-27 cm. Tail length 13-17 cm. The head is somewhat flattened with an elongated and pointed muzzle. Mouth small

.

The tongue can protrude up to 10 cm from the mouth. It is used to catch termites. The eyes are big. The ears are medium sized and pointed. The back of the body is larger than the front. The tail is covered with thick hair. The limbs are relatively short, widely spaced.

In the family marsupial anteaters there is only one genus: marsupial anteaters Myrmecobius, included in Sometimes marsupial anteaters are included in family Dasyuridae. There is one species in the genus marsupial anteaters: the marsupial anteater M.fasdatus, included in the IUCN Red List.

The front paws are five-toed and the hind paws are four-toed. Fingers with strong claws. The hairline is tall and coarse. Its color on the back is grayish-brown or reddish with 6-12 white transverse stripes. The belly and limbs are yellow-white. Females do not have a brood pouch.

Where does he live?

In the past they were widespread throughout the southern part Australian mainland. Currently found only in the southwest of Western Australia.

Lifestyle and biology

inhabit open forests dominated by eucalyptus trees and an understory of shrubs. The spread is associated with the presence of termites, which not only serve as food, but also contribute to the formation of hollows used as shelters.

Favorite habitats are forests dominated by Eucalyptus wand o o, inhabited by the termite Coptotermes acinaciformis, and with an understory of the poisonous shrub Gastrolobium microcarpum. Less common in forests dominated by E. margmata, which is more resistant to termites, and in hillside forests dominated by E. accedens.

They are active mainly at night. The day is spent in hollows fallen trees. Sometimes they make nests from leaves, bark and grass. Occasionally they dig holes. They feed on termites of all kinds and also eat small numbers of ants.

Breeding in southwestern Australia appears to be seasonal. The female usually gives birth to a litter of 4 cubs from January to April or May.

The places where the anteater lives are well known to all fans of this animal. It belongs to the genus of non-edentate mammals.

Such different anteaters

You can find out where the anteater lives by reading this article. It is worth immediately noting that there is a wide variety of these animals in the world. From dwarf anteaters, whose weight is less than half a kilogram and body length of only 15 centimeters, to the giant anteater. This one grows more than a meter in length and weighs about three dozen kilograms.

Traditionally, as with most mammals, males are noticeably larger than females. Their main distinctive feature- a long and tube-shaped muzzle, which ends in a small oral slit, very narrow. At the same time, the ears are very small, and the eyes are simply tiny.

The tail of different anteaters is different. For example, the pygmy anteater or tamandua has a naked tail with a grasping reflex. Anteaters are also distinguished by a worm-like tongue. It is quite long, for them it is a kind of hunting organ. The anteater wets it with sticky saliva. The giant anteater's tongue can be up to 60 centimeters long. According to this indicator, they are leaders among all land animals on the planet.

The body of this animal is usually covered with thick hair. The hairs are soft and short in small individuals, coarse and long in large representatives of this family. The color is as contrasting as possible. It can be gray, or maybe golden brown. Most four-toed anteaters are characterized by dark stripes or extensive black spot through the entire body.

Only at first glance their skull looks fragile, but in reality the bones are very strong and thick. Anteaters are very similar to armadillos and sloths. Fundamental difference is that they have no teeth at all.

Distribution area

Representatives of this family filled several continents at once. Where the anteater lives, it is predominantly warm and humid. This is often a zone tropical forests. This is exactly how you can answer the question, where does the anteater live, in what natural zone?

You can meet these amazing and cute animals all over from Mexico to Central America. And also in Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. Where the anteater lives, in what zone, you will learn from this article. To be precise, these are tropical rainforests, as well as grassy savanna.

Most often, when finding out where the anteater lives, the photo of which is in this article, researchers note that these are forests in the tropics. But you can often find it in open spaces. For example, on the banks of rivers in savannas.

Now you know where the anteater lives, on what continent. Animals lead a terrestrial lifestyle, although this mainly applies to the giant anteater. Arboreal lifestyle in pygmy anteaters. But one of the most common species of four-toed anteaters leads a combined life - both in trees and on the ground.

Diet

The period of their activity occurs at night. It begins as soon as twilight falls on the earth and continues throughout the night. The diet of the anteater cannot be called very varied. Mostly these are termites or ants. The heroes of our article destroy their buildings with the help of their powerful front paws. After this, they begin to collect insects with their long and sticky tongue.

Occasionally they feast on bees or beetle larvae. Anteaters kept in the zoo allow themselves a more varied menu. For example, they eat fruit. Let us remember that they do not have teeth, so one of the sections of the stomach is equipped with powerful muscles to grind all the food entering the body. Similar structure internal organs observed in birds. This is how they manage to grind food. This process is enhanced by small pebbles or sand, which anteaters often accidentally swallow.

Sense organs

Anteaters have an excellent sense of smell. At the same time, vision and hearing are very weak. They are protected from predators by powerful claws. At the same time, they lead a predominantly solitary lifestyle. Only females with cubs can be found in pairs. Anteaters breed once a year. The female gives birth to one child, who lives on her back for the entire period of infancy.

It is interesting that anteaters appeared on Earth quite a long time ago. Their fossil remains are most often found in South America. From approximately the Early Miocene period, which began 23 million years ago. Most scientists are convinced that anteaters are even older. True, in Lately their numbers have decreased noticeably. But they are not included in almost any Red Books.

Four-toed anteater

In order to get to know these animals better, let’s focus on one of the most common representatives - the four-toed anteater. This is a funny and very attractive animal.

The body of this particular anteater measures from 55 to 90 centimeters in length. And this is not counting the tail, which reaches up to half a meter in length. The total body weight of individual individuals reaches five kilograms.

This species of anteater is also called the Mexican tamandua; from the name it becomes clear where the anteater lives. It has a curved and elongated muzzle, and its mouth is very small in diameter. It is only sufficient to pass the tongue, the length of which, given such body parameters, is truly impressive. The tamandua's tongue is about 40 centimeters.

Like all four-toed anteaters, the tamandua has a prehensile tail, in some representatives it is completely naked, in others it is naked only below. He himself irregular shape covered with marks different sizes. Tamandua's eyes are very weak, they see extremely poorly. At the same time, large ears, which almost always stand upright, indicate that this organ plays a big role in their life. They receive most of the information about the world around them through hearing. On their front paws you can see four toes with claws on each, and on their hind paws there are five claws.

The fur of this anteater is thick and hard, often very bristling. To protect themselves from predators and other enemies, Mexican tamanduas can emit a strong, unpleasant odor from their anal gland. This happens when they sense impending danger. For this feature they were even nicknamed forest stinkers.

Where does the tamandua anteater live?

This particular anteater lives in the forests of the South American continent. It can be found from Trinidad to Venezuela itself. It lives in northern Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. Specifically, Mexican tamanduas are found in Central America. They can be found and photographed even in southeastern Mexico. Natural area Where anteaters live is the tropics and savannas.

Most often they prefer forest edges, and at a fairly low altitude - up to two thousand meters above sea level. They like to live near small bodies of water, as well as near trees - epiphytes and vines.

Lifestyle

Like other anteaters, four-toed anteaters are awake at night. During the daytime they are in hollows or burrows. But Mexican tamanduas can be found both day and night. They are able to stay awake up to eight hours a day.

They often eat without even leaving the trees. They walk little, slowly and clumsily on the ground. In this they are very different from giant anteaters, which are capable of very high speeds.

The way they move is interesting. To avoid injuring the sensitive feet when walking, they move on the outer ribs of the feet. And the clawed front paws are used for self-defense. If they happen to fight an enemy in a tree, they tightly grasp the branch with both paws. When they find themselves on the ground, they lean against some support. For example, to tree trunk or rock. They also have a very funny defensive tactic - to fall on their backs and fight back with all four legs. Their main detractors are big snakes, eagles and jaguars.

How long do anteaters live?

Scientists managed to record the maximum lifespan of anteaters, nine and a half years. Females become sexually mature by the end of the first year of life. Pregnancy lasts from four and a half to five months. The only cub is born in the spring.

Anteaters feed on termites and ants. They detect them by smell. At the same time, those species that emit caustic and dangerous substances are determined in advance. chemical substances, and they are not eaten. They love bees and honey. In captivity they even agree to eat meat.

The importance of anteaters for humans

Surprisingly, the Amazonian aborigines have four-toed anteaters at home. They are kept to fight termites and ants that enter the home.

There is also value in their tail veins. They make strong ropes.

Anteaters are perhaps one of the most amazing mammals on our planet, thanks to their more than unusual appearance, they have gained wide fame among lovers of exotic animals. And the first person who had his own pet anteater was the great and eccentric artist Salvador Dali; it is quite possible that the appearance of this animal inspired him to paint his unusual paintings. As for anteaters, they belong to the order of edentates, their distant relatives are armadillos and (although they are not at all similar in appearance), there are three species of anteaters themselves, in natural conditions they live exclusively on the American continent, but read more about all this further.

Anteater - description, structure. What does an anteater look like?

The sizes of anteaters vary depending on the species, so the largest giant anteater reaches two meters in length, and what is interesting is that half of its size is in the tail. Its weight is approximately 30-35 kg.

The smallest dwarf anteater is only 16-20 cm in length and weighs no more than 400 grams.

The anteater's head is small, but very elongated, and its length can be 30% of the length of its body. The anteater's jaws are practically fused together, so it is impossible for him to open his mouth wide, however, he does not need to do this. Like having teeth. Yes, anteaters literally have no teeth at all, but the lack of teeth is more than compensated for by the anteater’s long and muscular tongue, which stretches along the entire length of their muzzle and is a real source of pride for this animal. The length of the giant anteater's tongue reaches 60 cm, this is the most long tongue among all living beings living on Earth.

The eyes and ears of anteaters are not large, but their paws are strong, muscular, and also armed with long and curved claws. These very claws are their only detail appearance, which recalls their relationship with sloths and armadillos. Anteaters also have a well-developed charm and can smell potential prey.

Also, anteaters are the owners of rather long and, moreover, muscular tails, which have useful application– with their help, anteaters can move through trees.

The giant anteater has long fur, especially on its tail, which gives it a broom-like appearance. But in other species of anteaters, the fur, on the contrary, is short and stiff.

Where does the anteater live?

Like their other relatives from the order of edentates, anteaters live exclusively in Central and South America, especially many of them live in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. The northern border of their habitat lies in Mexico. Anteaters are heat-loving animals and, accordingly, live exclusively in places with warm climate. They like to settle in forests (all anteaters, with the exception of the giant one, easily climb trees) and grassy plains, where many insects live - their potential food.

What does an anteater eat?

As you can guess from the name of this animal, the favorite food of anteaters is, of course, ants, as well as termites. But they are not averse to feasting on other insects, but only small ones, but large insects There is no need to be afraid of anteaters; they simply do not eat them. The point here is that anteaters have no teeth; as a result, they swallow their prey whole, and in their stomach it is digested by gastric juice. And since the food of anteaters is small, and the size, on the contrary, is not so small to feed themselves, they devote all their time to searching for something to eat. Like living vacuum cleaners, they roam the jungle, constantly sniffing out and sucking in everything edible. If on the way of an anteater he suddenly encounters an anthill or a termite mound, then a real holiday and a feast for the whole world begins for him (only for ants or termites such a meeting turns into a real disaster).

In the process of absorbing food, the anteater's tongue moves at an incredible speed - up to 160 times per minute. Prey sticks to it thanks to sticky saliva.

Enemies of anteaters

However, the anteaters themselves, in turn, can also become prey for others. dangerous predators, especially jaguars, and large boa constrictors. True, to protect against the latter, anteaters have a significant argument - muscular paws with claws. In case of danger, the anteater falls on its back and begins to swing all four paws in all directions. No matter how funny and clumsy such a spectacle may look, in such a position the anteater can inflict serious wounds on its potential offender.

Types of anteaters, photos and names

As we wrote at the beginning, there are three types of anteaters in nature, and further we will write about each of them.

Most big representative of the anteater family, living in South and Central America and also the only one of this family that, due to its large size, is unable to climb trees. Leads a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle; when walking, it characteristically bends its legs, resting on the back of the forelimbs. A means of protection against predators are sharp claws on powerful paws.

Pygmy anteater

On the contrary, the smallest anteater living in tropical forests South America. The pygmy anteater can climb trees very well; moreover, trees are a safe refuge for it from predators. Like other anteaters, it feeds on small insects, ants, termites, and is nocturnal.

Tamandua anteater

He is also a four-toed anteater, lives in Central America, and there are also especially many of them in southern Mexico. It is relatively small in size, larger than the dwarf anteater, but much smaller than the giant one, its body length is up to 88 cm, weight - 4-5 kg. Just like its dwarf relative, tamandua climbs trees well; according to the observations of Venezuelan zoologists, it spends from 13 to 64% of its life in trees. He has poor eyesight, but has excellent charm, and uses his sense of smell to find his favorite prey, ants and termites.

Interesting fact: the Amazon Indians long ago domesticated the tamandua anteaters, which have been used since ancient times to fight ants and termites in their homes.

How long do anteaters live?

The average lifespan of anteaters is 15 years.

How do anteaters reproduce?

Anteaters mate twice a year: in spring and autumn. Pregnancy lasts from three months to six months, depending on the species, after which a completely naked little anteater is born, which, however, is already able to independently climb onto its mother’s back.

Interesting fact: anteater dads also take an active part in raising their babies, carrying them on their backs together with their mother.

Up to a month of life, little anteaters move exclusively on the backs of their parents and only then begin to take their first independent steps.

Feeding baby anteaters may not seem like a very pleasant sight to us; mom and dad anteaters regurgitate a special mass of semi-digested insects, which serves as food for the growing little anteaters.

  • A typical voracious anteater can eat up to 30 thousand ants or termites in a day.
  • Anteaters are not herd animals; they prefer to lead a solitary lifestyle, at most a family one. However, when in captivity they can play well with each other.
  • Anteaters have a peaceful nature, which makes them amenable to domestication; they can get along well with more common pets: dogs, and even love to play with children. True, keeping an anteater at home is not so easy, because they cannot stand the cold at all; the favorable temperature for them should be no lower than 24-26 C.
  • Anteaters, among other things, are good swimmers and can easily swim across tropical bodies of water.

Anteater, video

And in conclusion, for you, a funny video about anteaters, called “10 reasons to get an anteater.”


This article is available at English language – .