Emily Chan
The smallest anteater in the world grows up to just 14 inches. Though it may be tiny, it is mighty, throwing a mean punch when faced with a threat. The cute little creature is known as the silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus).
The silky anteater weighs 14 ounces and reaches 14 inches in length, or 18 if you include its tail. It lives in a region spanning from southern Mexico to South America.
Its diet consists of ants, wasps, termites, and small beetles. It uses its long, sticky, noodle-like tongue to slurp up food.
It has soft, dense fur that provides camouflage in silk-cotton trees. When a silky anteater curls up into a ball, it resembles the seed pods in the trees. This way, they can avoid detection by predators like the harpy eagle or a spectacled owl.
The fur also gives it a fluffy, cuddly appearance, but make no mistake—this creature can hold its own in a fight.
When a silky anteater comes across a threat, it stands on its hind legs, using its tail as an anchor. Then, it will raise its large, curved claws up to its face and strike. Its tail is long and prehensile, which means it can hold onto branches.
Although the silky anteater can fight, its best defense mechanism is to stay hidden among the treetops of lowland rainforests.
They hardly ever touch the ground, as that would make them highly vulnerable. Since the animal is both solitary and nocturnal, it is rarely ever seen. As a result, little is known about the species.
Scientists once thought all silky anteaters were a single species. But, in 2018, researchers studied DNA samples, bone structures, and color patterns of 287 museum specimens. Now, they believe there are more than seven species of silky anteater.
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