Giant anteater: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the giant anteater lives – recorded in 10 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Myrmecophaga tridactyla
Group	Sloths, anteaters & armadillos
Status	Vulnerable (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	10 countries
Continents	South America
Mass	1.35 kg (birth weight)
Class	Mammal
Order	Pilosa
Family	Myrmecophagidae

Where does the giant anteater live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the giant anteater in 10 countries and territories across South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil, Mazagão.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

How big is a giant anteater?

Wikidata records the following for the giant anteater: mass 1.35 kg (birth weight).

Is the giant anteater endangered?

The giant anteater’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Vulnerable” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the giant anteater?

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is a mammal in the order Pilosa and the family Myrmecophagidae, genus Myrmecophaga. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the giant anteater

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is a large insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. It is the largest of the four living species of anteaters, which are classified with sloths in the order Pilosa. The only extant member of the genus Myrmecophaga, the giant anteater is mostly terrestrial, in contrast to other living anteaters and sloths, which are arboreal or semiarboreal. It is recognizable by its elongated snout, bushy tail, long foreclaws, and distinctively colored fur.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Giant anteater (revision 1381336802), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q203033 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).