Myrmecophagidae is a family of anteater

Anteater

Anteaters, also known as antbear, are the four mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua commonly known for eating ants and termites. Together with the sloths, they compose the order Pilosa...

s, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...

 words for 'ant' and 'eat' (Myrmeco- and phagos). Myrmecophagids are native to Central and South America, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. There are 2 genera and 3 species in the family, consisting of the Giant Anteater

Giant Anteater

The Giant Anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, is the largest species of anteater. It is the only species in the genus Myrmecophaga. It is found in Central and South America from Honduras to northern Argentina...

, and the tamandua

Tamandua

Tamandua is a genus of anteaters. It has two members: the Southern Tamandua and the Northern Tamandua . They live in forests and grasslands, are semi-arboreal, and possess partially prehensile tails. They mainly eat ants and termites, but they occasionally eat bees, beetles, and insect larvae...

s. The fossil Eurotamandua

Eurotamandua

Eurotamandua is an extinct mammal that lived some 49 million years ago, during the early Eocene.A single fossil is known, coming from the Messel Pit. It was about 90 cm long. It is often classified as a pangolin...

from the Messel Pit

Messel pit

The Messel Pit is a disused quarry near the village of Messel, about southeast of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Bituminous shale was mined there. Because of its abundance of fossils, it has significant geological and scientific importance...

 in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 may be an early anteater, but its status is currently debated.

Characteristics

Myrmecophagids are medium to large animals, with distinctively elongated snouts and long, narrow tongues. They have powerful claws on their toes, enabling them to rip open termite mounds and ant nests to eat the insects inside. They have no teeth, but produce a large amount of sticky saliva to trap the insects, as well as backward-pointing spines on their tongues. Ants and termites are almost their only food in the wild, and their primary source of water, although they will sometimes also drink free-standing water, and occasionally eat fruits.

Females give birth to a single young after a gestation

Gestation

Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....

 period of between 130 and 190 days, depending on species. The mother carries the young on her back for several months as it grows. The adults are solitary animals.

Taxonomy

• Order: Pilosa
  Pilosa
  The order Pilosa is a group of placental mammals, extant today only in the Americas. It includes the anteaters and sloths, including the recently extinct ground sloths....
  
  
  • Suborder: Folivora
  • Suborder: Vermilingua
    • Family: Cyclopedidae
      Cyclopedidae
      Cyclopedidae is a family of anteaters that includes the silky anteater and its extinct relatives....
      
      
    • Family: Myrmecophagidae
      • Genus: Protamandua †
      • Genus: Myrmecophaga
        Giant Anteater
        The Giant Anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, is the largest species of anteater. It is the only species in the genus Myrmecophaga. It is found in Central and South America from Honduras to northern Argentina...
        
        
        • Species: Mymecophaga tridactyla
          Giant Anteater
          The Giant Anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, is the largest species of anteater. It is the only species in the genus Myrmecophaga. It is found in Central and South America from Honduras to northern Argentina...
          
          - Giant Anteater
      • Genus: Neotamandua †
      • Genus: Tamandua
        Tamandua
        Tamandua is a genus of anteaters. It has two members: the Southern Tamandua and the Northern Tamandua . They live in forests and grasslands, are semi-arboreal, and possess partially prehensile tails. They mainly eat ants and termites, but they occasionally eat bees, beetles, and insect larvae...
        
        
        • Species: Tamandua mexicana - Northern Tamandua
        • Species: Tamandua tetradactyla - Southern Tamandua