What is the largest anteater in the Amazon rainforest?

The largest anteater in the Amazon rainforest is the giant anteater. Also called the ant bear, it can reach about 2.1 metres (7 feet) in total length, including its long, bushy tail, and can weigh roughly 40 kilograms (88 pounds). Its elongated snout and exceptionally long tongue are specialized for feeding on ants and termites.

Giant anteaters have no teeth. Instead, they use powerful claws to break into insect nests, then rapidly extend a tongue coated with sticky saliva. Their claws are also an important defense against predators such as jaguars and pumas. Despite their name, they are not closely related to aardvarks, which belong to a separate African mammal lineage.

The silky anteater and tamanduas are also found in the Neotropics, but they are much smaller. The giant anteater is the only living anteater species in the genus Myrmecophaga and ranges through grasslands, wetlands, and forests across Central and South America.