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{{Short description|Mammals known for eating ants and termites}}
{{Other uses}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Anteaters
| fossil_range = Early [[Miocene]] – present, {{fossilrange|25|0}}
| image = Tamanduá-bandeira no Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra (cropped).jpg
| image_caption = [[Giant anteater]]
| taxon = Vermilingua
| authority = [[Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger|Illiger]], 1811
| subdivision_ranks = Families
| subdivision = [[Cyclopedidae]]<br />
[[Myrmecophagidae]]
| range_map = Vermilingua.jpg
| range_map_caption = Red:  ''[[Cyclopedidae]]'', Blue: ''[[Myrmecophagidae]]'', Purple: both'' [[Cyclopedidae]]  '' and '' [[Myrmecophagidae]]  ''
}}

'''Anteaters''' are the four extant [[mammal]] species in the suborder '''Vermilingua'''<ref>{{Cite web
 | title = Giant Anteater Facts | url = http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Amazonia/Facts/fact-anteater.cfm
 | publisher = Smithsonian Institution | access-date = 2011-07-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828111105/https://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Amazonia/Facts/fact-anteater.cfm|archive-date=2011-08-28
}}</ref> (meaning "worm tongue"), commonly known for eating [[ant]]s and [[termite]]s. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together with [[sloth]]s, they are within the order [[Pilosa]]. The name "anteater" is also commonly applied to the [[aardvark]], [[numbat]], [[echidna]]s, and [[pangolin]]s, although they are not closely related to them.

Extant species are the [[giant anteater]] ''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'', about {{Convert|1.8|m|abbr=on}} long including the tail; the [[silky anteater]] ''Cyclopes didactylus'', about {{Convert|35|cm|abbr=on}} long; the [[southern tamandua]] or collared anteater ''Tamandua tetradactyla'', about {{Convert|1.2|m|abbr=on}} long; and the [[northern tamandua]] ''Tamandua mexicana'' of similar dimensions.

== Etymology ==
The name ''anteater'' refers to the [[species]]' diet, which consists mainly of ants and termites. Anteater has also been used as a [[common name]] for a number of animals that are not in Vermilingua, including the [[echidna]]s, [[numbat]], [[pangolin]]s, and [[aardvark]].<ref>{{Oed|term=Anteater|id=1002244695|access-date=19 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-11 |title=Definition of ANTEATER |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anteater |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}}</ref> Anteaters are also known as antbears, although this is more commonly used as a name for the aardvark.<ref>{{Oed|term=Ant bear|id=4378206907|access-date=20 August 2023}}</ref> The word ''[[tamandua]]'' comes from Portuguese, which itself borrowed it from the [[Tupi language|Tupí]] ''tamanduá'', meaning "ant hunter".<ref>{{Oed|term=Tamandua|id=1093689655|access-date=19 August 2023}}</ref> In Portuguese, {{Lang|pt|tamanduá}} is used to refer to all anteaters; in Spanish, only the two species in the [[genus]] ''Tamandua'' are known by this name, with the giant anteater and silky anteater being called {{Lang|es|oso hormiguero}} and {{Lang|es|cíclope}}, respectively. All four species are also known by a number of indigenous names.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Superina |first1=Mariella |last2=Aguiar |first2=John M. |title=A Reference List of Common Names for the Edentates |journal=Edentata |date=2006 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=33 |doi=10.1896/1413-4411.7.1.33 |s2cid=84399406 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
{{see also|List of pilosans}}

===Evolutionary history===
Anteaters are part of the [[Xenarthra]] superorder, a once diverse group of mammals that occupied South America while it was geographically isolated from the [[Great American Interchange|invasion of animals from North America]]. The other living animals in the family are the [[sloth]]s and the armadillos.

At one time, anteaters were assumed to be related to [[aardvark]]s and [[pangolin]]s because of their physical similarities to those animals, but these similarities have since been determined to be not a sign of a common ancestor, but of [[convergent evolution]]. All have evolved powerful digging forearms, long tongues, and toothless, tube-like snouts to subsist by raiding termite mounds.

===Taxonomy===

The anteaters are more closely related to the sloths than they are to any other group of mammals. Their next closest relations are [[armadillo]]s. There are four extant species in three genera. There are several extinct genera as well.

{{cladogram|style=float:right;
|clades={{Clade|style=width:30em;
|label1=[[Pilosa]]<ref name="Cladogram1"/><ref name="Cladogram2"/>
|1={{clade
  |label1=[[Folivora]]
  |1={{clade
    |label1=[[Bradypodidae]]
    |1={{clade
      |1=''[[Bradypus]]''
      }}
    |label2=[[Choloepodidae]]
    |2={{clade
      |1=''[[Choloepus]]''
      }}
    }}
  |label2='''Vermilingua'''
  |2={{clade
    |label1=[[Cyclopedidae]]
    |1=''[[Cyclopes (genus)|Cyclopes]]''
    |label2=[[Myrmecophagidae]]
    |2={{clade
      |1=''[[Myrmecophaga]]''
      |2=''[[Tamandua]]''
      }}
    }}
  }}
}}}}

'''Suborder Vermilingua''' (anteaters)
*Family [[Cyclopedidae]]
**Genus ''Cyclopes''
***[[Silky anteater]] (''C. didactylus'')
**Genus †''[[Palaeomyrmidon]]'' (Rovereto 1914)<ref>{{Paleodb|taxon|83038|Palaeomyrmidon}}</ref>
*Family [[Myrmecophagidae]]
**Genus ''[[Myrmecophaga]]''
***[[Giant anteater]] (''M. tridactyla'')
**Genus †''[[Neotamandua]]'' (Rovereto 1914)<ref>{{Paleodb|taxon|43655|Neotamandua}}</ref>
**Genus ''[[Tamandua]]''
***[[Northern tamandua]] (''T. mexicana'')
***[[Southern tamandua]] (''T. tetradactyla'')
**Genus †''[[Protamandua]]'' (Ameghino 1904)<ref>{{Paleodb|taxon|43657|Protamandua}}</ref>

==Morphology==
[[File:Silky Anteater.jpg|thumb|The [[silky anteater]] is the smallest species in the order.]]
All anteaters have extremely elongated [[snouts]] equipped with a thin and long tongue that is coated with sticky saliva produced by enlarged [[submaxillary glands]]. The mouth is small and has no teeth. The frontal feet have large claws on the third digit, used to break into the mounds of termites and ants, and the remaining digits are usually slightly smaller or lacking entirely. The entire body is covered with dense fur. The tail is long, in some cases as long as the rest of the body, covered with varying amounts of fur, and [[prehensile]] in all species except for the giant anteater.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite book |last=Gardner |first=Alfred L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbU3d7EUCm8C |title=Mammals of South America |date=2007 |publisher=University of Chicago press |isbn=978-0-226-28240-4 |location=Chicago |pages=168–177}}</ref> Anteaters are known to experience color abnormalities, including [[albinism]] in giant anteaters and albinism, [[leucism]], and [[melanism]] in the southern tamandua.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bôlla |first1=Daniela |last2=Baraldo-Mello |first2=João P. |last3=Garcia |first3=Thierry |last4=Rovito |first4=Sean |date=2022 |title=Color abnormalities in the Giant Anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'' Linnaeus, 1758) and Southern Tamandua (''Tamandua tetradactyla'' [Linnaeus, 1758]) from Brazil and Ecuador |url=https://ojs.sarem.org.ar/index.php/nms/article/view/814 |journal=Notas sobre Mamíferos Sudamericanos |language=es |volume=04 |issue=1 |pages=001–008 |doi=10.31687/SaremNMS22.11.2 |issn=2618-4788|doi-access=free }}</ref>

The giant anteater can be distinguished from the other species on the basis of its large size, with an average total body length of around {{Cvt|2|m|ft}} and an average mass of {{Cvt|33|kg|lb}}. The body is mainly covered with long, dark brown or black fur, with a prominent triangular white-edged black band from the shoulders down to chest and continuing to the mid-body. The forelegs are mostly white, marked with black at the wrists and just above the claws. The tail is almost as long as the body and covered with long, coarse hairs.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9" /> Giant anteaters have the largest degree of rostral elongation relative to their size of any other ant-eating mammal.<ref name=":10" />

The tamanduas are medium-sized species smaller than the giant anteater, with a total body length of around {{Cvt|0.77–1.33|m|ft}} and a mass of {{Cvt|3.2–7.0|kg|lb}}. They can further be distinguished by their shorter snout, their relatively shorter claws, proportionately longer ears, and mostly fur-less, prehensile tail. They also differ in their coloration; most individuals are golden brown to gray, with a black "vest" on the back and belly joined by two black bands running across the shoulders. Some tamanduas may lack the vest partially or entirely, instead having a uniformly yellow, brown, or black coat.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8" />

The silky anteater is the smallest species in the order, with an average total body length of {{Cvt|43|cm|in}} and an average mass of {{Cvt|235|g|oz}}.<ref name=":8" /> It has extremely dense, silky, gray to golden-brown fur across its body, sometimes tinged silver on the back.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":5" /> Some South American populations have a chocolate brown stripe down the middle of the back, most prominent in the [[Amazon basin]].<ref name=":5" /> The tail is extremely prehensile, and the limbs display adaptations to help it grab items while climbing.<ref name=":8" /> Unlike the other anteaters and many other unrelated obligate ant-eating mammals,<ref>{{cite book |title=Feeding|last=REISS|first=KAREN ZICH |editor-first=Kurt|editor-last=Schwenk |chapter=Feeding in Myrmecophagous Mammals |date=2000 |doi=10.1016/b978-012632590-4/50016-2 |isbn=978-012632590-4|pages=459–485 |publisher=Elsevier}}</ref> the silky anteater's face is only slightly longer than expected for an animal of its size and shows a strong downward tilt.<ref name=":10">{{Cite journal |last=Naples |first=Virginia L. |date=September 1999 |title=Morphology, evolution and function of feeding in the giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=249 |issue=1 |pages=19–41 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1999.tb01057.x |issn=0952-8369}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==
Anteaters are endemic to the New World, where they are found on the mainland from southern Mexico to northern Argentina,<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last1=Eisenberg |first1=John Frederick |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p2MDAzCeQQoC&pg=PA92 |title=Mammals of the Neotropics. 3: The Central neotropics: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil |last2=Redford |first2=Kent H. |date=1999 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-19542-1 |location=Chicago |pages=90–94 |language=en}}</ref> as well as some of the Caribbean islands.<ref name=":5">{{cite journal |last1=Hayssen |first1=Virginia |last2=Miranda |first2=Flávia |last3=Pasch |first3=Bret |title=Cyclopes didactylus (Pilosa: Cyclopedidae) |journal=Mammalian Species |date=25 January 2012 |volume=44 |pages=51–58 |doi=10.1644/895.1 |s2cid=86110792 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":6">{{cite journal |last1=Hayssen |first1=Virginia |title=Tamandua tetradactyla (Pilosa: Myrmecophagidae) |journal=Mammalian Species |date=21 January 2011 |volume=43 |pages=64–74 |doi=10.1644/875.1 |s2cid=86324706 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Like other xenarthans, anteaters originally evolved in South America,<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1017/cbo9780511541438.011 |chapter=Xenarthra |title=Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America |date=2008 |last1=McDonald |first1=H. Gregory |last2=Naples |first2=Virginia L. |pages=147–160 |isbn=978-0-521-78117-6 }}</ref> and began spreading to Central and North America as part of the [[Great American Interchange]] after the formation of the [[Isthmus of Panama]] around 3 [[million years ago]].<ref>{{cite thesis |id={{ProQuest|839582487}} |last1=Shaw |first1=Barbara J |date=2010 |title=The enigmatic anteaters, sloths, and armadillos: Elucidating evolutionary relationships among xenarthran families, †Ernanodon antelios, and remaining mammals }}{{pn|date=August 2023}}</ref> Some species of anteaters may have had greater ranges during the early [[Pleistocene]] than they have currently; for example, fossils of the giant anteater have been found as far north as [[Sonora, Mexico]], and the reduction in its range is probably due to changes in habitat due to [[deglaciation]] in North America in the later Pleistocene.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Desbiez |first1=A. L. G. |url=https://www.edgeofexistence.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Survival_Blueprint_2020_GiantAnteater_Brazil.pdf |title=Survival Blueprint for the conservation of the giant anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, in the Brazilian Cerrado |last2=Chiarello |first2=A. G. |last3=Teles |first3=Davi |publisher=Zoological Society of London |year=2020 |editor-last=Alberici |editor-first=V. |location=London |language=en}}</ref>

Currently, the giant anteater is known from Central America south east of the Andes to northern Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. West of the Andes, it is only known from Colombia and possibly Ecuador. It has been extirpated from much of its Central American range, and has also suffered local extinctions in the southern end of its distribution.<ref name=":9">{{cite journal |last1=Gaudin |first1=Timothy J |last2=Hicks |first2=Patrick |last3=Di Blanco |first3=Yamil |date=12 April 2018 |title=''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'' (Pilosa: Myrmecophagidae) |url=https://academic.oup.com/mspecies/article/50/956/1/4968042 |journal=Mammalian Species |volume=50 |issue=956 |pages=1–13 |doi=10.1093/mspecies/sey001 |hdl-access=free |hdl=11336/90534}}</ref> The northern tamandua is found from southern Mexico south to the western Andes of Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, and Ecuador,<ref name=":4">{{cite journal |last1=Navarrete |first1=Daya |last2=Ortega |first2=Jorge |date=28 March 2011 |title=''Tamandua mexicana'' (Pilosa: Myrmecophagidae) |journal=Mammalian Species |volume=43 |issue=874 |pages=56–63 |doi=10.1644/874.1 |s2cid=31010025 |doi-access=free}}</ref> while the southern tamandua inhabits South America east of the Andes, from as far north as Colombia, [[Trinidad]], and the [[Guianas]] south to northern Uruguay and northern Argentina.<ref name=":6" /> Both species of tamandua co-occur in some parts of their range.<ref name=":4" /> The silky anteater occurs from Veracruz and Oaxaca in Mexico south to Colombia and Ecuador west of the Andes and to Brazil and Bolivia east of the Andes. An additional [[disjunct population]] also exists in northwestern Brazil.<ref name=":5" />

Anteater habitats include [[dry tropical forest]]s, [[rainforest]]s, [[grassland]]s, and [[savanna]]s. The silky anteater is specialized to an arboreal environment, but the more opportunistic tamanduas find their food both on the ground and in trees, typically in dry forests near streams and lakes. The almost entirely terrestrial giant anteater lives in savannas.<ref name="Grzimek-171-175">{{Cite book |last=Grzimek |first=Bernhard |title=Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia |publisher=Gale |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7876-7750-3 |editor1-last=Hutchins |editor1-first=Michael |edition=2nd |volume=13 |location=Detroit |pages=171–175 |author-link=Bernhard Grzimek |editor2-last=Kleiman |editor2-first=Devra G |editor3-last=Geist |editor3-first=Valerius |editor4-last=McDade |editor4-first=Melissa С}}</ref> The two anteaters of the genus ''[[Tamandua]]'', the southern and the northern tamanduas are much smaller than the giant anteater, and differ essentially from it in their habits, being mainly arboreal. They inhabit the dense primeval forests of South and Central America.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Anteater|volume=2|page=89}}</ref> The silky anteater (''Cyclopes didactylus'') is a native of the hottest parts of South and Central America and exclusively arboreal in its habits.<ref name="EB1911" />

==Behavior and ecology==
[[File:AnteaterAsleep.JPG|thumb|right|220px|Sleeping giant anteater]]
Anteaters are mostly solitary mammals prepared to defend their {{Convert|1.0|to|1.5|sqmi|abbr=on}} [[territory (animal)|territories]]. They do not normally enter a territory of another anteater of the same sex, but males often enter the territory of associated females. When a territorial dispute occurs, they vocalize, swat, and can sometimes sit on or even ride the back of their opponents.<ref name="Grzimek-171-175" />

Anteaters have poor sight but an excellent sense of smell, and most species depend on the latter for foraging, feeding, and defence. Their hearing is thought to be good.<ref name="Grzimek-171-175" />

With a body temperature fluctuating between {{Convert|33| and |36|C|F}}, anteaters, like other xenarthrans, have among the lowest body temperatures of any mammal,<ref name="Lovegrove">{{cite journal
  | last = Lovegrove | first = B. G.
  | title = The Zoogeography of Mammalian Basal Metabolic Rate
  | journal = The American Naturalist | volume = 156 | issue = 2
  | pages = 201–219; see 214–215 | publisher = [[The University of Chicago Press]]
  | date = August 2000 | doi = 10.1086/303383 | pmid = 10856202 | jstor = 3079219| bibcode = 2000ANat..156..201L
 | s2cid = 4436119
 }}</ref> and can tolerate greater fluctuations in body temperature than most mammals. Their daily energy intake from food is only slightly greater than their energy need for daily activities, and anteaters probably coordinate their body temperatures so they keep cool during periods of rest, and heat up during foraging.<ref name="Grzimek-171-175" />

===Reproduction===
Adult males are slightly larger and more muscular than females, and have wider heads and necks. Visual sex determination can, however, be difficult, since the penis and [[testes]] are located internally between the rectum and urinary bladder in males and females have a single pair of [[Mammary gland|mammae]] near the armpits. Fertilization occurs by contact transfer without intromission, similar to some lizards. [[Polygyny in animals|Polygynous]] mating usually results in a single offspring; twins are possible but rare. The large foreclaws prevent mothers from grasping their newborns and they therefore have to carry the offspring until they are self-sufficient.<ref name="Grzimek-171-175" />

===Foraging and diet===
Anteaters are specialized to feed on small insects, with each anteater species having its own insect preferences: small species are specialized on arboreal insects living on small branches, while large species can penetrate the hard covering of the nests of terrestrial insects. To avoid the jaws, sting, and other defences of the invertebrates, anteaters have adopted the feeding strategy of licking up large numbers of ants and termites as quickly as possible&nbsp;– an anteater normally spends about a minute at a nest before moving on to another&nbsp;– and a giant anteater has to visit up to 200 nests per day to consume the thousands of insects it needs to satisfy its caloric requirements.<ref name="Grzimek-171-175" />

The anteater's tongue is covered with thousands of tiny hooks called [[filiform papilla]]e which are used to hold the insects together with large amounts of saliva. Swallowing and the movement of the tongue are aided by side-to-side movements of the jaws. The tongue is attached to the sternum and moves very quickly, flicking 150 times per minute. The anteater's stomach, similar to a bird's [[gizzard]], has hardened folds and uses strong contractions to grind the insects, a digestive process assisted by small amounts of ingested sand and dirt.<ref name="Grzimek-171-175" />

=== Predators ===
A number of mammals and birds are known to prey on anteaters. [[Jaguars]] are known to feed upon both giant anteaters and the southern tamandua, with the latter species representing a significant portion of the jaguar's diet in some areas.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Foster |first1=Vania C. |last2=Sarmento |first2=Pedro |last3=Sollmann |first3=Rahel |last4=Tôrres |first4=Natalia |last5=Jácomo |first5=Anah T. A. |last6=Negrões |first6=Nuno |last7=Fonseca |first7=Carlos |last8=Silveira |first8=Leandro |date=2013 |title=Jaguar and Puma Activity Patterns and Predator-Prey Interactions in Four Brazilian Biomes |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/btp.12021 |journal=Biotropica |language=en |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=378 |doi=10.1111/btp.12021|bibcode=2013Biotr..45..373F |s2cid=86338173 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cavalcanti |first1=Sandra M. C. |last2=Gese |first2=Eric M. |date=2010-06-16 |title=Kill rates and predation patterns of jaguars ( Panthera onca ) in the southern Pantanal, Brazil |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |language=en |volume=91 |issue=3 |pages=722–736 |doi=10.1644/09-MAMM-A-171.1 |issn=0022-2372|doi-access=free }}</ref> Tamanduas are additionally predated upon by [[ocelots]], other [[felids]], [[foxes]],<ref name=":7" /> and [[caimans]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Vasconcelos |first1=Beatriz Diogo |last2=Brandao |first2=Reuber |date=2022 |title=Predation on ''Tamandua tetradactyla'' (Pilosa: Myrmecophagidae) by ''Caiman latirostris'' (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae) in a highly seasonal habitat in Central Brazil |url=https://biozoojournals.ro/nwjz/content/v18n2/nwjz_222502_Vasconcelos.pdf |journal=North-Western Journal of Zoology |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=218}}</ref> and may be vulnerable to predation by [[Harpy eagle|harpy eagles]] near their nests.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Aguiar-Silva |first1=Francisca Helena |last2=Jaudoin |first2=Olivier |last3=Sanaiotti |first3=Tânia M. |last4=Seixas |first4=Gláucia H.F. |last5=Duleba |first5=Samuel |last6=Martins |first6=Frederico D. |date=2017 |title=Camera Trapping at Harpy Eagle Nests: Interspecies Interactions Under Predation Risk |url=http://www.bioone.org/doi/10.3356/JRR-15-58.1 |journal=Journal of Raptor Research |language=en |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=72–78 |doi=10.3356/JRR-15-58.1 |s2cid=90034136 |issn=0892-1016|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Silky anteaters have been observed being attacked by hawks.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Barnett |first1=Adrian A. |last2=Silla |first2=João M. |last3=de Oliveira |first3=Tadeu |last4=Boyle |first4=Sarah A. |last5=Bezerra |first5=Bruna M. |last6=Spironello |first6=Wilson R. |last7=Setz |first7=Eleonore Z. F. |last8=da Silva |first8=Rafaela F. Soares |last9=de Albuquerque Teixeira |first9=Samara |last10=Todd |first10=Lucy M. |last11=Pinto |first11=Liliam P. |date=2017 |title=Run, hide, or fight: anti-predation strategies in endangered red-nosed cuxiú (Chiropotes albinasus, Pitheciidae) in southeastern Amazonia |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10329-017-0596-9 |journal=Primates |language=en |volume=58 |issue=2 |pages=353–360 |doi=10.1007/s10329-017-0596-9 |pmid=28116549 |s2cid=254159850 |issn=0032-8332|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Diseases and parasites ===
Anteaters are known to host a wide variety of [[parasites]], including [[ticks]], [[fleas]], [[parasitic worms]], and [[acanthocephalans]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sanchez |first1=Juliana P. |last2=Berrizbeitia |first2=M. Fernanda López |last3=Ezquiaga |first3=M. Cecilia |title=Host specificity of flea parasites of mammals from the Andean Biogeographic Region |journal=Medical and Veterinary Entomology |date=September 2023 |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=511–522 |doi=10.1111/mve.12649 |pmid=37000587 |s2cid=257856374 }}</ref> The most common ticks found on anteaters are from the family [[Ixodidae]], and especially the genus ''[[Amblyomma]]'': 29 species of ixodids are known from anteaters, 25 of which belong to ''Amblyomma''.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=Muñoz-García |first1=Claudia Irais |last2=Guzmán-Cornejo |first2=Carmen |last3=Rendón-Franco |first3=Emilio |last4=Villanueva-García |first4=Claudia |last5=Sánchez-Montes |first5=Sokani |last6=Acosta-Gutierrez |first6=Roxana |last7=Romero-Callejas |first7=Evangelina |last8=Díaz-López |first8=Hilda |last9=Martínez-Carrasco |first9=Carlos |last10=Berriatua |first10=Eduardo |title=Epidemiological study of ticks collected from the northern tamandua (Tamandua mexicana) and a literature review of ticks of Myrmecophagidae anteaters |journal=Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases |date=August 2019 |volume=10 |issue=5 |pages=1146–1156 |doi=10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.06.005 |pmid=31231044 |s2cid=195327955 }}</ref> Anteaters are the primary host for at least four species of ticks: ''A. nodosum'', ''A. calcaratum'', ''A. goeldi'', and ''A. pictum''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kolonin |first1=G. V. |title=Mammals as hosts of Ixodid ticks (Acarina, Ixodidae) |journal=Entomological Review |date=July 2007 |volume=87 |issue=4 |pages=401–412 |doi=10.1134/S0013873807040033 |bibcode=2007EntRv..87..401K |s2cid=23409847 }}</ref> Parasitic worms collected from anteaters include those in the class [[Cestoda]] and nematodes in the families [[Spiruridae]], [[Physalopteridae]], [[Trichostrongylidae]], and [[Ascarididae]].<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last1=Diniz |first1=L. S. M. |last2=Costa |first2=E. O. |last3=Oliveira |first3=P. M. A. |title=Clinical disorders observed in anteaters (Myrmecophagidae, Edentata) in captivity |journal=Veterinary Research Communications |date=September 1995 |volume=19 |issue=5 |pages=409–415 |doi=10.1007/BF01839320 |pmid=8560755 |s2cid=30645943 }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite journal |last1=Arenales |first1=Alexandre |last2=Gardiner |first2=Chris H |last3=Miranda |first3=Flavia R |last4=Dutra |first4=Kateanne S |last5=Oliveira |first5=Ayisa R |last6=Mol |first6=Juliana PS |last7=Texeira da Costa |first7=Maria EL |last8=Tinoco |first8=Herlandes P |last9=Coelho |first9=Carlyle M |last10=Silva |first10=Rodrigo OS |last11=Pinto |first11=Hudson A |last12=Hoppe |first12=Estevam GL |last13=Werther |first13=Karin |last14=Santos |first14=Renato Lima |title=Pathology of Free-Ranging and Captive Brazilian Anteaters |journal=Journal of Comparative Pathology |date=October 2020 |volume=180 |pages=55–68 |doi=10.1016/j.jcpa.2020.08.007 |pmid=33222875 |s2cid=224857889 }}</ref> Parasitization by the nematode ''[[Physaloptera magnipapilla]]'' results in [[anemia]] and [[gastritis]] in the giant anteater.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lértora |first1=Walter Javier |last2=Montenegro |first2=M. A. |last3=Mussart |first3=Norma Beatriz |last4=Villordo |first4=Gabriela Inés |last5=Sánchez Negrette |first5=Marcial |title=Anemia and hyperplastic gastritis in a giant anteater (myrmecophaga tridactyla) due to physaloptera magnipapilla parasitism |journal=Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Pathology |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=20–26 |date=February 2015 |hdl=123456789/28376}}</ref> The giant anteater is the [[type host]] of a species of nematode, ''[[Aspidodera serrata]],''<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cesário |first1=Clarice S. |last2=Gomes |first2=Ana Paula N. |last3=Maldonado |first3=Arnaldo |last4=Olifiers |first4=Natalie |last5=Jiménez |first5=Francisco A. |last6=Bianchi |first6=Rita C. |title=A New Species of Aspidodera (Nematoda: Heterakoidea) Parasitizing the Giant Anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla (Pilosa: Myrmecophagidae) in Brazil and New Key to Species |journal=Comparative Parasitology |date=10 February 2021 |volume=88 |issue=1 |doi=10.1654/1525-2647-88.1.7 |s2cid=233914359 |url=https://www.arca.fiocruz.br/handle/icict/49774 }}</ref> while the silky anteater is the type host of the [[Coccidia|coccidian]] ''Eimeria cyclopei''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lainson |first1=Ralph |last2=Shaw |first2=Jeffrey J. |date=1982 |title=Coccidia of Brazilian edentates: ''Eimeria cyclopei'' n.sp. from the silky anteater, ''Cyclopes didactylus'' (Linn.) and ''Eimeria choloepi'' n.sp. from the two-toed sloth, ''Choloepus didactylus'' (Linn.) |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/BF00009629 |journal=Systematic Parasitology |language=en |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=269–278 |doi=10.1007/BF00009629 |s2cid=25858346 |issn=0165-5752|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Other parasites that affect anteaters are [[protozoans]], [[bacteria]], [[parabasalids]], and [[viruses]].<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ibañez-Escribano |first1=A. |last2=Nogal-Ruiz |first2=J.J. |last3=Delclaux |first3=M. |last4=Martinez-Nevado |first4=E. |last5=Ponce-Gordo |first5=F. |title=Morphological and molecular identification of Tetratrichomonas flagellates from the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) |journal=Research in Veterinary Science |date=August 2013 |volume=95 |issue=1 |pages=176–181 |doi=10.1016/j.rvsc.2013.01.022 |pmid=23465778 }}</ref>

Diseases that anteaters suffer from include physiological diseases like [[Sertoli cell tumour|Sertoli cell tumors]],<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Santana |first1=Clarissa H. |last2=Souza |first2=Lucas dos R. de |last3=Silva |first3=Laice A. da |last4=Oliveira |first4=Ayisa R. |last5=Paula |first5=Nayara F. de |last6=Santos |first6=Daniel O. dos |last7=Pereira |first7=Fernanda M.A.M. |last8=Vieira |first8=André D. |last9=Ribeiro |first9=Letícia N. |last10=Soares-Neto |first10=Lauro L. |last11=Bicudo |first11=Alexandre L. da Costa |last12=Hippolito |first12=Alícia G. |last13=Paixão |first13=Tatiane A. da |last14=Santos |first14=Renato L. |title=Metastatic Sertoli cell tumour in a captive giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) |journal=Journal of Comparative Pathology |date=July 2023 |volume=204 |pages=17–22 |doi=10.1016/j.jcpa.2023.05.001 |pmid=37321133 |s2cid=259176224 }}</ref> physical injuries such as burns and fractures, metabolic and nutritional disorders like [[Mineralized tissues#Diseased mineralized tissues|soft tissue mineralization]] and [[hypervitaminosis D]],<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cole |first1=Georgina C. |last2=Naylor |first2=Adam D. |last3=Hurst |first3=Emma |last4=Girling |first4=Simon J. |last5=Mellanby |first5=Richard J. |title=Hypervitaminosis D in a Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga Tridactyla) and a Large Hairy Armadillo (Chaetophractus Villosus) Receiving a Commercial Insectivore Diet |journal=Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine |date=17 March 2020 |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=245–248 |doi=10.1638/2019-0042 |pmid=32212572 |s2cid=213184615 }}</ref> and infectious diseases like [[gastritis]],{{cn|date=November 2023}} [[osteomyelitis]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cotts |first1=Leonardo |last2=Amaral |first2=Roberta V. |last3=Laeta |first3=Maíra |last4=Cunha-Filho |first4=Carlos A. |last5=Moratelli |first5=Ricardo |title=Pathology in the appendicular bones of southern tamandua, Tamandua tetradactyla (Xenarthra, Pilosa): injuries to the locomotor system and first case report of osteomyelitis in anteaters |journal=BMC Veterinary Research |date=December 2019 |volume=15 |issue=1 |page=120 |doi=10.1186/s12917-019-1869-x |pmc=6485120 |pmid=31023313 |doi-access=free }}</ref> and [[dermatitis]].<ref name=":2" /> Anteaters may serve as [[Disease vector|vectors]] for the transmission of several diseases between species.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3">{{cite journal |last1=Pereira |first1=Asheley Henrique Barbosa |last2=Pereira |first2=Gabriela Oliveira |last3=Borges |first3=Jaqueline Camargo |last4=de Barros Silva |first4=Victoria Luiza |last5=Pereira |first5=Bárbara Hawanna Marques |last6=Morgado |first6=Thays Oliveira |last7=da Silva Cavasani |first7=Joao Paulo |last8=Slhessarenko |first8=Renata Dezengrini |last9=Campos |first9=Richard Pacheco |last10=Biondo |first10=Alexander Welker |last11=de Carvalho Mendes |first11=Renan |last12=Néspoli |first12=Pedro Eduardo Brandini |last13=de Souza |first13=Marcos Almeida |last14=Colodel |first14=Edson Moleta |last15=Ubiali |first15=Daniel Guimarães |last16=Dutra |first16=Valéria |last17=Nakazato |first17=Luciano |title=A Novel Host of an Emerging Disease: SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) Kept Under Clinical Care in Brazil |journal=EcoHealth |date=December 2022 |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=458–462 |doi=10.1007/s10393-022-01623-6 |pmc=9872066 |pmid=36692797 }}</ref> Ticks from anteaters are known to carry ''[[Rickettsia]]'' bacteria, which cause [[spotted fever]] in humans.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Szabó |first1=Matias Pablo Juan |last2=Pascoal |first2=Jamile Oliveira |last3=Martins |first3=Maria Marlene |last4=Ramos |first4=Vanessa do Nascimento |last5=Osava |first5=Carolina Fonseca |last6=Santos |first6=André Luis Quagliatto |last7=Yokosawa |first7=Jonny |last8=Rezende |first8=Lais Miguel |last9=Tolesano-Pascoli |first9=Graziela Virginia |last10=Torga |first10=Khelma |last11=de Castro |first11=Márcio Botelho |last12=Suzin |first12=Adriane |last13=Barbieri |first13=Amália Regina Mar |last14=Werther |first14=Karin |last15=Silva |first15=Juliana Macedo Magnino |last16=Labruna |first16=Marcelo Bahia |title=Ticks and Rickettsia on anteaters from Southeast and Central-West Brazil |journal=Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases |date=April 2019 |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=540–545 |doi=10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.01.008 |pmid=30709660 |s2cid=73441483 }}</ref> Anteaters have also been infected with [[SARS-CoV-2]], the virus that causes [[COVID-19]],<ref name=":3" /> ''[[Leishmania]]'', the protozoan that causes [[leishmaniasis]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Muñoz-García |first1=Claudia I. |last2=Sánchez-Montes |first2=Sokani |last3=Villanueva-García |first3=Claudia |last4=Romero-Callejas |first4=Evangelina |last5=Díaz-López |first5=Hilda M. |last6=Gordillo-Chávez |first6=Elías J. |last7=Martínez-Carrasco |first7=Carlos |last8=Berriatua |first8=Eduardo |last9=Rendón-Franco |first9=Emilio |title=The role of sloths and anteaters as Leishmania spp. reservoirs: a review and a newly described natural infection of Leishmania mexicana in the northern anteater |journal=Parasitology Research |date=April 2019 |volume=118 |issue=4 |pages=1095–1101 |doi=10.1007/s00436-019-06253-6 |pmid=30770980 |s2cid=253977205 }}</ref> and [[canine distemper]]-causing ''[[Morbillivirus]]'', contracting the last disease from a [[maned wolf]] in captivity.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Debesa Belizário Granjeiro |first1=Melissa |last2=Lima Kavasaki |first2=Mayara |last3=Morgado |first3=Thais O. |last4=Avelino Dandolini Pavelegini |first4=Lucas |last5=Alves de Barros |first5=Marisol |last6=Fontana |first6=Carolina |last7=Assis Bianchini |first7=Mateus |last8=Oliveira Souza |first8=Aneliza |last9=Gonçalves Lima Oliveira Santos |first9=Amanda R. |last10=Lunardi |first10=Michele |last11=Colodel |first11=Edson M. |last12=Aguiar |first12=Daniel M. |last13=Jorge Mendonça |first13=Adriane |title=First report of a canine morbillivirus infection in a giant anteater ( Myrmecophaga tridactyla ) in Brazil |journal=Veterinary Medicine and Science |date=August 2020 |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=606–611 |doi=10.1002/vms3.246 |pmc=7397876 |pmid=32023667 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Souza |first1=Lucas R. |last2=Carvalho |first2=Marcelo P. N. |last3=Lopes |first3=Carlos E. B. |last4=Lopes |first4=Marcelo C. |last5=Campos |first5=Bruna H. |last6=Teixeira |first6=Érika P. T. |last7=Mendes |first7=Ellen J. |last8=Santos |first8=Leidilene P. |last9=Caixeta |first9=Eduardo A. |last10=Costa |first10=Erica A. |last11=Cunha |first11=João L. R. |last12=Fraiha |first12=Ana L. S. |last13=Silva |first13=Rodrigo O. S. |last14=Ramos |first14=Carolina P. |last15=Varaschin |first15=Mary S. |last16=Ecco |first16=Roselene |title=Outbreak of canine distemper and coinfections in a maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) and in three giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) |journal=Brazilian Journal of Microbiology |date=September 2022 |volume=53 |issue=3 |pages=1731–1741 |doi=10.1007/s42770-022-00783-5 |pmc=9433619 |pmid=35864379 }}</ref> Anteaters, like other xenarthans, display several adaptations that lead to very low rates of [[cancer]] among them, such as [[Apoptosis|programmed cell death]] at very low levels of DNA damage.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Vazquez |first1=Juan Manuel |last2=Pena |first2=Maria T |last3=Muhammad |first3=Baaqeyah |last4=Kraft |first4=Morgan |last5=Adams |first5=Linda B |last6=Lynch |first6=Vincent J |title=Parallel evolution of reduced cancer risk and tumor suppressor duplications in Xenarthra |journal=eLife |date=8 December 2022 |volume=11 |doi=10.7554/eLife.82558 |pmc=9810328 |pmid=36480266 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

== Conservation ==
The silky anteater and both of the tamanduas are classified as being of [[least concern]] by the [[IUCN]] due to their large ranges, presumed large populations, and the lack of significant enough population declines.<ref>{{cite iucn|title=''Cyclopes didactylus''|page=e.T6019A47440020|author=Miranda, F.|date=2014|volume=2014|access-date=19 November 2021|author2=Meritt, D.A.|author3=Tirira, D.G.|author4=Arteaga, M.|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T6019A47440020.en}}</ref><ref>{{cite iucn|title=''Tamandua mexicana''|page=e.T21349A47442649|author=Ortega Reyes, J.|date=2014|access-date=17 November 2021|author2=Tirira, D.G.|author3=Arteaga, M.|author4=Miranda, F.|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T21349A47442649.en}}</ref><ref>{{cite iucn|title=''Tamandua tetradactyla''|page=e.T21350A47442916|author=Miranda, F.|date=2014|access-date=12 November 2021|author2=Fallabrino, A.|author3=Arteaga, M.|author4=Tirira, D.G.|author5=Meritt, D.A.|author6=Superina, M.|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T21350A47442916.en}}</ref> The giant anteater is classified as being [[Vulnerable species|vulnerable]] due to high levels of [[habitat loss]] and degradation, an ongoing population decline of greater than 30% in the last 21 years, and a number of threats such as hunting and wildfires.<ref>{{cite iucn|title=''Myrmecophaga tridactyla''|page=e.T14224A47441961|author=Miranda, F.|date=2014|volume=2014|access-date=19 November 2021|author2=Bertassoni, A.|author3=Abba, A. M.|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T14224A47441961.en}}</ref> Additionally, the population of the silky anteater from northeastern Brazil has been assessed separately by the IUCN and classified as being [[data deficient]], although its population is currently thought to be decreasing due habitat loss and illegal capture for the [[wildlife trade]].<ref>{{cite iucn|title='' Cyclopes didactylus'' (Northeastern Brazil subpopulation) |page= e.T173393A47444393 |author=Miranda, F.|date=2014|volume=2014|access-date=20 August 2023|author2=Superina, M. |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T173393A47444393.en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
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}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Vermilingua}}
* {{Wikispecies inline|Vermilingua}}

{{Pilosa}}
{{Pilosan genera|P.|state=autocollapse}}
{{Portal bar|Mammals|Animals}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q972452}}

[[Category:Anteaters]]
[[Category:Extant Miocene first appearances]]
[[Category:Mammals of Central America]]
[[Category:Mammals of South America]]
[[Category:Pilosa]]