The silky anteater is the world’s smallest anteater species and is little bigger than a human hand. It is rarely seen due to its small size and its nocturnal (or night-active) and arboreal lifestyle, and it is even seldom encountered by forest tribes. It has a prehensile tail and long claws for climbing and tearing open ant’s nests. Its long tongue is equipped with small spikes and mucus and is perfect for gathering up ants and termites. The silky anteater may consume up to 5,000 ants a day. It has a preference for residing in the silk-cotton tree because the silky fibres of the seedpods resemble its coat and may act to camouflage it from predators. The silky anteater is nocturnal and is active almost continually from sunset to shortly before dawn. In the day in rests in shady areas of trees, often in the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba) where it is disguised from predators because the silky fibres of the seedpods resemble its coat and offer effective camouflage. At night it feeds on ants, termites and other insects that it captures with its long sticky tongue. Its sight and heating are poor but it has an acute sense of smell. The silky anteater hardly ever descends to the ground, although it can walk reasonably well by turning its claws inwards and walking on the sides of feet. If provoked it stands on its hind legs supported by its tail with its front legs in front of its face ready to strike. The silky anteater is usually slow-moving and non-aggressive.
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