---
title: "Giant Anteater"
description: "Myrmecophaga tridactyla — Mammiferi. The giant anteater is an insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/it/animal/giant-anteater
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Giant Anteater

> Myrmecophaga tridactyla — Mammiferi. The giant anteater is an insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America.

- Scientific name: *Myrmecophaga tridactyla*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammiferi)
- Habitats: `savanna` (Savana)
- iNaturalist observations: 3297
- Wikidata: [Q203033](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q203033)
- iNaturalist taxon: [47107](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/47107)

## Names

- en: Giant Anteater
- de: Großer Ameisenbär
- es: Hormiguero gigante
- fr: Grand Fourmilier
- nl: Reuzenmiereneter
- pt: Tamanduá-bandeira
- pl: Mrówkojad wielki

## Countries with the most observations

BR (1397), CO (640), AR (141), GY (80), BO (74), PY (49), PE (42), VE (24), GF (22), EC (20), SR (3)

## Summary

The giant anteater is an 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: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_anteater

## Photo

![Giant Anteater](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/giant-anteater/medium.jpg)

Photo: Whaldener Endo · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/122004569

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/giant-anteater?lang=it` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).