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Cyclopes didactylus, Photo: Michael Lahanas Cladus: Eukaryota Name Cyclopes didactylus (Linnaeus, 1758) Type locality: "America australi", Surinam (Thomas, 1911) Synonyms * Myrmecophaga didactyla Linnaeus, 1758 References * Cyclopes didactylus on Mammal Species of the World. Vernacular names -------- The Silky Anteater or Pygmy Anteater (Cyclopes didactylus) is a species of anteater from Central and South America, ranging from extreme southern Mexico south to Brazil and possibly Paraguay. It is the only living species in the Cyclopes genus and the Cyclopedidae family. It is the smallest member of the anteaters, with total length ranging from 360 to 450 mm (14.1-17.7 in) and usually weighing less than 400 g (0.88 lbs). It has a dense and soft golden brown fur, short snout, partially prehensile tail and two very enlarged claws in each forepaw.
Cyclopes didactylus catellus Thomas, 1928 Cyclopes didactylus dorsalis Gray, 1865 Cyclopes didactylus eva Thomas, 1902 Cyclopes didactylus ida Thomas, 1900 Cyclopes didactylus melini Lönnberg, 1928 Cyclopes didactylus mexicanus Hollister, 1914 Natural history It is a nocturnal and arboreal animal,[3] found in lowland rainforests with continuous canopy where they can move to different places without the need to descend from trees.[3] It can occur at fairly high densities of 0.77 individuals/ha, for example, in some areas. Females have smaller home ranges than males. The Silky Anteater is a slow moving animal and feeds mainly on ants, between 100 and 8000 a day.[3] Sometimes it can also feed on other insects, such as termites and small coccinellid beetles.[3] The Silky Anteater defecates once a day.[3] Some of those feces, examined by scientists, showed a large quantity of exoskeleton fragments of insects, indicating that the Silky Anteater does not possess either chitinase or chitobiase,[3] digestive enzymes found in insectivorous bats. It is a solitary animal and gives birth to a single young that is usually placed inside a nest of dead leaves built in tree holes.[3] Some authors suggest that the Silky Anteater usually dwells in silk cotton trees (genus Ceiba).[3][4] Because of its resemblance to the seed pod fibers of these trees, it can use the trees as camouflage[3] and avoid attacks of predators such as hawks and, especially, harpy eagles. During the day they typically sleep curled up in a ball. Although they are rarely seen in the forest, it is said that they can be found more easily when they are foraging on lianas at night. When threatened, the Silky Anteater, like other anteaters, defends itself by standing on its hind legs and holding its forefeet close to its face so it can strike any animal that tries to get close with its sharp claws.[3] Silky anteater sleeping, Damas Island, Costa Rica 1. ^ Gardner, Alfred L. (16 November 2005). "Order Pilosa (pp. 100-103)". In Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). p. 102. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=11800028. * Louise H. Emmons and Francois Feer, 1997 - Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, A Field Guide. Source: Wikipedia, Wikispecies: All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License |
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