What looks like a weirdly crooked panda sniffing the ground, is actually… a leg of a giant anteater! Look closer, and you’ll see its thin snout, tiny eye and one ear right above an astonishing panda-like leg. The illusion is caused by the colors of the anteater’s fur, as its black and white coat forms what looks like panda’s eyes, ears and a nose.
What you don’t see are the large claws on each of their paws, which are curled when the anteater walks, and are used while digging through the anthill. Having no teeth, they eat by flicking their tongue up to 160 times per minute, and that way eat as many as 30 000 ants a day!
The giant anteaters are the largest ones of the four anteater species, and can be found in different habitats, such as rainforests or grasslands. Unfortunately, the mammal is classified as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). That’s gotta be one of our favorite animals as of now!
Image credits: zimbio.com
Image credits: readtiger.com
Image credits: dinosaurpalaeo.wordpress.com
Image credits: northrup.org
Image credits: sonic-fancharacter.deviantart.com
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