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 species in the Cyclopes genus and the Cyclopedidae family. Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subkingdom Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subkingdom Agnotozoa Placozoa Orthonectida Rhombozoa Subkingdom Metazoa Radiata Cnidaria Ctenophora - Comb jellies Bilateria Protostomia Acoelomorpha Platyhelminthes - Flatworms Nemertina - Ribbon worms Gastrotricha Gnathostomulida - Jawed worms Micrognathozoa Rotifera - Rotifers Acanthocephala Priapulida Kinorhyncha Loricifera Entoprocta Nematoda - Roundworms Nematomorpha - Horsehair worms Cycliophora Mollusca - Mollusks Sipuncula - Peanut worms Annelida - Segmented... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Subclass Monotremata Monotremata Subclass Marsupialia Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Subclass Placentalia Xenarthra Dermoptera Desmostylia Scandentia Primates Rodentia Lagomorpha Insectivora Chiroptera Pholidota Carnivora Perissodactyla Artiodactyla Cetacea Afrosoricida Macroscelidea Tubulidentata Hyracoidea Proboscidea Sirenia The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals primarily characterized by the presence of mammary... Families Bradypodidae Megalonychidae Cyclopedidae Myrmecophagidae The order Pilosa is a group of placental mammals, extant today only in the Americas. ... Families Cyclopedidae Myrmecophagidae Anteaters are the 4 mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua commonly known for eating ants and termites. ... Pocock may refer to: George Pocock, 18th Century British Admiral. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... John Edward Gray. ... 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as (help· info), (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[1] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... 1758 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... In biology, a species is the basic unit of biodiversity. ... Families Cyclopedidae Myrmecophagidae Anteaters are the 4 mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua commonly known for eating ants and termites. ... Map of Central America Central America is an area of the American continent in the Western Hemisphere. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

It is the smallest member of the anteaters, with total length ranging from 360 to 450 mm and usually weighing less than 400 g. It has a dense and soft golden brown fur, short snout, prehensile tail and two very enlarged claws in each forepaw.

Natural history

It is a nocturnal and arboreal animal, found in lowland rainforests with continuous canopy where they can move to different places without the need to descend from trees. It can occur at fairly high densities of 0.77 individuals/ha, for example, in some areas. Females have smaller home ranges than males. A nocturnal animal is one that sleeps during the day and is active at night - the opposite of the human (diurnal) schedule. ... This article is about the biological organisms known as trees. ... A dense growth of softwoods (a forest) in the Sierra Nevada Range of Northern California A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically, a wooded area set aside for hunting). ...

The Silky Anteater is a slow moving animal and feeds mainly on ants, between 100 to 8000 a day. Sometimes it can also feed on other insects too, such as termites and small coccinellid beatles. It is reported to defecate only once a day. 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, digestive enzymes found in insectivorous bats. For other uses, see Ladybird (disambiguation). ... An exoskeleton, in contrast to an endoskeleton, is an external anatomical feature that supports and protects an animals body. ... Chitinase (barley seed chitinase: PDB 1CNS, EC 3. ... Any organism with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures is an insectivore. ...

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.

Some authors suggest that the Silky Anteater usually dwells in silk cotton trees (genus Ceiba). Because of its resemblance to the seed pod fibers of these trees, it can use the trees as camouflage and keep safely guarded from attacks of predators such as hawks and, especially, harpy eagles. Although they are rarely seen in the forest, it is said that they can be found easier when they are foraging on lianas at night. Adansonia – Baobab Bombax – Silk_cotton tree Ceiba – Kapok Durio – Durian Ochroma – Balsa The Bombacaceae is a family of tropical trees in the order Malvales, closely related to the mallow family (Malvaceae), and often included in it, being distinguishable from that family only by the smooth pollen, and larger mature tree stature. ... In biology, a genus (plural genera) is a taxonomic grouping. ... Species About 10-20 species, including: Ceiba aesculifolia Ceiba glaziovii Ceiba insignis Ceiba pentandra Ceiba speciosa Ceiba trichistandra Ceiba is the name of a genus of many species of large trees found in tropical areas, including Central and South America, The Bahamas,the Caribbean, West Africa, and Southeast Asia. ... Binomial name Harpia harpyja (Linnaeus, 1758) The name harpy eagle usually refers to the neotropical eagle, Harpia harpyja (see below for other birds called harpy eagles). ... A liana is woody climber. ...

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 they can strike, with its sharp claws, any animal that tries to get closer to it.

References

• Louise H. Emmons and Francois Feer, 1997 - Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, A Field Guide.
• John F Eisenberg, Kent H Redford , 2000 - Mammals of the Neotropics: Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil
• Best, RC; Harada, AY, 1985 - Food habits of the silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus ) in the central Amazon. Journal of Mammalogy 66(4).
• Gardner, Alfred (November 16, 2005). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds) Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, 102, Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.

External links

Wikispecies has information related to:

Silky Anteater

• Photos of Silky Anteaters on the Web: 1, 2, 3
• Map of Silky anteater's range (Natureserve.org)