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Animal Age

How old does a Giant anteater get? (age expectancy)

What is the maximal age a Giant anteater reaches?

An adult Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) usually gets as old as 26 years.

Giant anteaters are around 182 days in the womb of their mother. When born, they weight 1.5 kg (3.31 lbs) and measure 2 cm (0′ 1″). As a member of the Myrmecophagidae family (genus: Myrmecophaga), a Giant anteater caries out around 1 little ones per pregnancy, which happens around 1 times a year. Fully grown, they reach a bodylength of 1.12 meter (3′ 9″).

As a reference: Usually, humans get as old as 100 years, with the average being around 75 years. After being carried in the belly of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks), they grow to an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) and weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual.

A Giant anteater gets as old as 26 years

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

Not really brothers and sisters, but from the same biological family (Myrmecophagidae):

Animals that reach the same age as Giant anteater

With an average age of 26 years, Giant anteater are in good companionship of the following animals:

Animals with the same number of babies Giant anteater

The same number of babies at once (1) are born by:

Weighting as much as Giant anteater

A fully grown Giant anteater reaches around 28.72 kg (63.31 lbs). So do these animals:

Animals as big as a Giant anteater

Those animals grow as big as a Giant anteater: