The silky anteater is the smallest living anteater and inhabits tropical rainforests from Mexico to South America.
Cyclopes didactylus is a tiny, mostly nocturnal mammal that spends much of its life in trees. It is covered in dense, silky fur, usually golden or grayish, and has a prehensile tail that helps it move through the canopy. Its small size and cryptic colouring make it difficult to observe in the wild.
The silky anteater feeds mainly on ants and termites. Its long snout and narrow tongue are specialized for reaching colonial insects, while strong claws help it climb and defend itself. Unlike the giant anteater, it is an arboreal specialist rather than a large ground-walking animal.
The name can cause confusion because several regional populations were once treated as one species. Modern research recognizes multiple species within the genus Cyclopes, but “silky anteater” remains the standard common name for this smallest anteater group.