Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), Pantanal, Brazil.
Image: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
At a glance
- IUCN category
- VU · Vulnerable
- Animal group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- FaunaHub record reviewed
- Checked against IUCN
- Matches source — IUCN's 2025 global assessment of Myrmecophaga tridactyla says VulnerableChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment
Conservation overview
The giant anteater is a large, bushy-tailed mammal that feeds on ants and termites using a long sticky tongue. It is assessed as Vulnerable.
It has no teeth and laps up tens of thousands of insects a day.
Range & habitat
Grasslands and forests from Central America to South America.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Habitat loss and fires
- Road deaths
- Hunting
Why it matters
By controlling ant and termite numbers, the giant anteater plays a useful role in its ecosystems, and it is a flagship for South American grassland and savanna conservation.
Gallery
Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), Brazil.
Image: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
Sources for Giant Anteater
- IUCN Red List — look up Giant Anteater (authoritative status)
- Animal Diversity Web