Anteaters (Mammalia: Myrmecophagidae) feed mainly on ants and termites. Three anteater species are present in Colombia: the giant anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla, the Northern lesser anteater Tamandua mexicana, and the Southern lesser anteater Tamandua tetradactyla. Nothing is known about their trophic ecology in the country. This study presents records of prey consumed by these species based on the analysis of stomach contents and feces, and compares the interspecific differences in consumed prey types. Data for M. tridactyla were obtained from four fecal samples from the Orinoco region, and the Tamandua samples were obtained from stomach contents of two specimens, one from the Andes region and the second one from the Orinoco region. Twenty-seven ant species were identified, belonging to 14 genera, ten tribes, and five subfamilies. Only two species of termites were found. Tamandua mexicana was the anteater that ate the greatest amount of ant species. Camponotus, Solenopsis and Ectatomma were the most frequent ant genera, and workers were more common than other castes. Tamandua species fed mainly on arboreal ants, while M. tridactyla had only ingested terrestrial ants. The differences between diets of anteaters seem to be related with resource availability and the abundance of ants in the habitat of each species.

In Brazil, the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla Linnaeus, 1758) is a mammal mentioned in some popular folklore stories, most often negatively. As a threatened mammal, listed in Brazil and worldwide as Vulnerable, such reports can negatively affect its conservation in some regions. The main purpose of this study is to describe perceptions about the physical and behavioral characteristics of giant anteaters and to verify the existence of popular reports involving these animals, in two Brazilian traditional communities where the species is relatively abundant in the wild. Through semi-direct interviews I registered 24 popular reports involving giant anteaters, three of which had been cited previously in the scientific literature.

The last assessment of the conservation status of mammals in Paraguay took place in 2006 and found just two species of Xenarthra, Myrmecophaga tridactyla and Priodontes maximus, to be threatened at the national level. Though seriously outdated in a rapidly-changing landscape, this assessment continues to be used today as a tool for national wildlife management decisions. This paper highlights difficulties in the current national assessment process, and suggests solutions with the aim of producing a more accurate reflection of the conservation status of Paraguayan xenarthrans during the next review. The provision to reviewers of regularly updated “crash-courses” in the current issues affecting the conservation of xenarthrans in Paraguay is suggested as a useful tool in reaching this aim, and a revision of the main factors that reviewers should be considering at the time of writing is provided here for each of the Paraguayan species.

Nine species of Xenarthra are found in French Guiana, a French overseas region that lies between Suriname and Amapá (Brazil) in the Guianan Shield. Most species seem to occur throughout this ca. 83,000 km² region, as deduced from distribution data extracted from a database of 470 visual or vouchered observations. Cabassous unicinctus and Cyclopes didactylus have been mostly observed in the northern part of the country, but additional field surveys are necessary before concluding that they have a restricted distribution. Five species (Cabassous unicinctus, Cyclopes didactylus, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, Priodontes maximus, and Tamandua tetradactyla) are fully protected by national or regional laws. Subsistence hunting is allowed for the two species of sloths, and there is no restriction on hunting Dasypus novemcinctus and D. kappleri. Documented threats include roadkills, which are rather common along the few concrete roads (Tamandua tetradactyla is the most common victim), and deforestation, which is fortunately still very limited at the regional scale. Few studies have been devoted to xenarthrans in French Guiana, except at the Petit-Saut hydroelectric dam, where scientists had the opportunity to handle several hundred sloths that were translocated to a nonflooded nearby area.

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is one of the most distinctive animals of South America. In northern Argentina it is found in forests, savannahs, and grasslands. It is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The present study was conceived as a husbandry tool for individuals of this species in zoos. The research was developed at CRET (Temaikèn Center of Species Reproduction) and consisted in elaborating the behavioral repertoire of a group of three adult females from April 2009 to April 2010. A total of 122 h of behavioral observations were made by the naked eye at a distance of 1–5 m through a metallic mesh, five times a week, with focal animal ad libitum sampling from 9:00 to 18:00 hr. A diagram of the exhibit was confected to ease the data collecting process. To facilitate the description of the behavioral acts, an identification of the different physical characteristics of each individual was conducted along with the segmentation of the body. During the 12 months of observations, 38 behavioral acts were defined, which were then grouped into eleven categories. Finalization of data collection was based on the saturation curve; the first asymptote was reached at 35 h, while the final one, which remained constant, was reached at 52 h and contained the 38 behavioral acts registered in the ethogram.

Several authors have proposed using harnesses to attach radio transmitters to giant anteaters. We assessed harness endurance and applicability on giant anteaters of different ages, tested improvements on its design, and evaluated potential negative impacts on reproduction. We also assessed the performance of an internal transmitter in a female anteater. We radiotagged 29 animals (26 reintroduced and three in-situ-born cubs) with 37 VHF harness-mounted transmitters, accumulating 370 months of radiotracking giant anteaters in Iberá Natural Reserve, Corrientes, Argentina. Each animal was periodically recaptured finding harness-related wounds in four cases for a total of 82 recaptures. All these wounds were properly treated and healed, and there were no cases of deaths related to harnesses. We designed and field-tested modifications on the transmitter canister shape that reduced resistance to vegetation, and also included an expandable section added to the strap around the thorax that prevented animals from removing their harnesses, while avoiding injuries related to changes in the anteater's weight. The internal implant resulted in a significant loss in signal strength. As result of our experience, we recommend the use of harnesses as the best way to attach radio-transmitters to giant anteaters because they offer the best quality of signal while having no apparent effect on reproduction. However, we highly recommend periodical recaptures of radio-harness tagged animals to avoid potentially fatal wounds coming from ill-adjusted harnesses in animals that are experiencing sharp changes in weight.

Here we present new data on relative abundance and diet of Bradypus tridactylus Linnaeus, 1758 resulting from 2,505 km of river based surveys conducted in northern Amazonia. Our sampling effort using a motorized boat provided a low number of B. tridactylus detections (n = 4, relative abundance of 0.02 individuals/ 10 km surveyed). Our observations provide the first record of Parkia velutina Benoist (Leguminosae - Mimosoideae) consumption for B. tridactylus. We contribute with recommendations of standardized complementary survey techniques that can be used to provide data on relative abundance of arboreal mammals such as sloths in tropical forests.

Wild silky anteaters (Cyclopes didactylus) were studied in Panama during the dry season using doubly-labeled water (DLW) to measure field metabolic rates (FMR) and water intake rates (WIR), and to estimate feeding rates. Their daily requirements for energy, food and water were low: only one- to two-thirds of those of typical eutherian mammals with the same body size. Anteaters' body-size-adjusted requirements were similar to, but higher than, those of sympatric three-toed sloths, another xenarthran species. Xenarthrans in general may have unusually low metabolic intensities and nutritional needs. Silky anteaters were strictly nocturnal, arboreal and myrmecophagous, and had relatively low body temperatures (31.5 ^°C).

Se estudiaron serafines del platanar (Cyclopes didactylus) en Panamá durante la estación seca con agua doblemente marcada (DLW) para medir las tasas metabólicas de campo (FMR), la tasa de ingesta de agua (WIR) y para estimar las tasas de alimentatión. Sus requerimientos diarios de energía, alimento y agua fueron bajos: correspondían a uno a dos tercios de los valores típicos para mamíferos euterios de tamaño corporal similar. Los requerimientos de los serafines, ajustados por el tamaño corporal, fueron similares pero más altos que los registrados en otra especie de Xenarthra simpátrica, el perezoso de tres dedos. Los xenartros en general pueden tener intensidades metabólicas y necesidades nutricionales inusualmente bajas. Los serafines del platanar fueron estrictamente nocturnos, arbóreos y mirmecófagos, y tenían una temperature corporal relativamente baja (31,5 °C).

Giant armadillos (Priodontes maximus) are one of the most endangered mammals in the Gran Chaco. They are largely nocturnal, highly fossorial and solitary, characteristics that have limited the understanding of their behavior and ecology. We report on the results of a study of the structure of 32 giant armadillo burrows in 25,000 ha of semi-arid forest owned by Toba aborigines of Formosa, Argentina. Burrow entrances were on average 43 cm wide and 36 cm high and more likely to be facing west (24) than east (8).

Los tatú carreta (Priodontes maximus) son uno de los mamíferos en mayor peligro de extinción del Gran Chaco. Son animales principalmente nocturnos, fosoriales y solitarios, características que han limitado el conocimiento sobre su comportamiento y ecología. Presentamos en este trabajo los resultados de un estudio para caracterizar la estructura de 32 cuevas de tatú carreta en 25,000 ha de bosques semi-áridos propiedad de comunidades Toba de Formosa, Argentina. Las entradas de las cuevas eran, en promedio, de 43 cm de ancho y 36 cm de alto, y estaban más frecuentemente orientadas hacia el oeste (24) que hacia el este (8).

A new record of the Chacoan naked-tailed armadillo, Cabassous chacoensis Wetzel, 1980 is reported for Córdoba province, Argentina. A male was found while it was crossing a rural road near El Quemado (Dept. Pocho, pedanía Chancaní). The location belongs to the Arid Chaco and presents an open shrubland with few trees and signs of disturbance related to intense cattle grazing, logging, and fires. This record allows to extend the range of this species, as it represents the southernmost observation in the province.

The giant armadillo is one of the least studied South American mammals. It is classified as Vulnerable due to habitat loss and subsistence hunting. This species has been recorded at several sites within the Pantanal biome of Brazil. We aimed to confirm the species presence in Serra do Amolar, in the western border of the Pantanal. Using camera traps and burrow censuses we confirmed its presence in an area with no previous information. Nevertheless, it is necessary to assess the population status and to gather more information about its ecology in order to contribute to its regional conservation.

Species conservation depends on biological knowledge. This study evaluates the current level of scientific knowledge of the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). We conducted a bibliographic search in Web of Science and in Edentata and recovered 81 articles related to the species, scattered throughout 47 journals. Ecology represents the most studied research theme (25 articles) and only 12 articles focus on conservation. There are more in situ (48 articles) than ex situ (32 articles) studies. The small number of conservation articles is cause of concern. Unfortunately the lack of basic knowledge may be one of the reasons hampering the implementation of conservation studies.

This is one of the few studies on food habits of armadillos and anteaters in the Caatinga, Brazil. Our aim was to describe food items found in fecal and stomach samples of six species (Dasypus novemcinctus, D. septemcinctus, Euphractus sexcinctus, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, Tamandua tetradactyla, Tolypeutes tricinctus) at the Serra da Capivara National Park, Piauí State, Brazil. For most species, invertebrates — especially Isoptera and Hymenoptera — were the main food source. Seeds were found in samples of most species studied, including M. tridactyla and T. tetradactyla.