It is hard to guess what a Giant anteater weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) on average weights 28.72 kg (63.31 lbs).
The Giant anteater is from the family Myrmecophagidae (genus: Myrmecophaga). It is usually born with about 1.5 kg (3.31 lbs). They can live for up to 26 years. When reaching adult age, they grow up to 1.12 meter (3′ 9″). On average, Giant anteaters can have babies 1 times per year with a litter size of 1.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), also known as the ant bear, is an insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. It is one of four living species of anteaters, the only extant member of the genus Myrmecophaga, and is classified with sloths in the order Pilosa. This species is mostly terrestrial, in contrast to other living anteaters and sloths, which are arboreal or semiarboreal. The giant anteater is the biggest of its family, 182 to 217 cm (5.97 to 7.12 ft) in length, with weights of 33 to 50 kg (73 to 110 lb) for males and 27 to 47 kg (60 to 104 lb) for females. It is recognizable by its elongated snout, bushy tail, long fore claws, and distinctively colored pelage.The giant anteater is found in multiple habitats, including grassland and rainforest. It forages in open areas and rests in more forested habitats. It feeds primarily on ants and termites, using its fore claws to dig them up and its long, sticky tongue to collect them. Though giant anteaters live in overlapping home ranges, they are mostly solitary except during mother-offspring relationships, aggressive interactions between males, and when mating. Mother anteaters carry their offspring on their backs until weaning them.The giant anteater is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It has been extirpated from many parts of its former range. Threats to its survival include habitat destruction, fire, and poaching for fur and bushmeat, although some anteaters inhabit protected areas. With its distinctive appearance and habits, the anteater has been featured in pre-Columbian myths and folktales, as well as modern popular culture.
Animals of the same family as a Giant anteater
We found other animals of the Myrmecophagidae family:
- Southern tamandua bringing 4.73 kilos (10.43 lbs) to the scale
- Northern tamandua bringing 4.11 kilos (9.06 lbs) to the scale
- Silky anteater with a weight of 259 grams
Animals with the same weight as a Giant anteater
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Myrmecophaga tridactyla:
- Mongolian gazelle with a weight of 28.22 kilos (62.21 lbs)
- Northern hairy-nosed wombat with a weight of 31.88 kilos (70.28 lbs)
- Common wallaroo with a weight of 25.99 kilos (57.3 lbs)
- Goitered gazelle with a weight of 26.84 kilos (59.17 lbs)
- Giant pangolin with a weight of 33 kilos (72.75 lbs)
- Sea otter with a weight of 27.46 kilos (60.54 lbs)
- Tibetan antelope with a weight of 32.66 kilos (72 lbs)
- Red-fronted gazelle with a weight of 27 kilos (59.52 lbs)
- Long-tailed goral with a weight of 27 kilos (59.52 lbs)
- Wolf with a weight of 33.38 kilos (73.59 lbs)
Animals with the same size as a Giant anteater
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Giant anteater:
- Dhole with a size of 98.8 cm (3′ 3″)
- Buru babirusa with a size of 95 cm (3′ 2″)
- Black musk deer with a size of 90 cm (3′ 0″)
- Iberian ibex with a size of 1.2 meter (4′ 0″)
- Alpine musk deer with a size of 90 cm (3′ 0″)
- Sheep with a size of 1.3 meter (4′ 4″)
- Oribi with a size of 1.16 meter (3′ 10″)
- Mountain gazelle with a size of 1.01 meter (3′ 4″)
- Red goral with a size of 1.04 meter (3′ 5″)
- Ringed seal with a size of 1.29 meter (4′ 3″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Giant anteater
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a Giant anteater:
- South African springhare
- Red-bellied titi
- Masoala fork-marked lemur
- Mount Kenya mole shrew
- Long-tailed pangolin
- Silvery gibbon
- Honduran white bat
- Pygmy killer whale
- Link rat
- Naked-rumped pouched bat
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Giant anteater
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Giant anteater:
- Leopard with an average maximal age of 23 years
- Atlantic white-sided dolphin with an average maximal age of 27 years
- Malayan porcupine with an average maximal age of 27.25 years
- Rodrigues flying fox with an average maximal age of 30 years
- Common eland with an average maximal age of 24.33 years
- White-lipped peccary with an average maximal age of 21 years
- American badger with an average maximal age of 26 years
- Subantarctic fur seal with an average maximal age of 23 years
- Sea otter with an average maximal age of 30 years
- Mule deer with an average maximal age of 22 years