The giant anteater is a large insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. It is one of four living species of anteater and is classified with sloths in the order Pilosa. This species is mostly terrestrial, in contrast to other living anteaters, which are arboreal or semi-arboreal. It is the largest of its family, stretching 182–217 cm (5.97–7.12 ft) and weighing 33–41 kg (73–90 lb) for males and 27–39 kg (60–86 lb) for females. It is recognizable by its elongated snout, bushy tail, long foreclaws and distinctively colored pelage. The anteater's habitats include grassland and rainforest and it feeds primarily on ants and termites, using its foreclaws to dig them up and its long, sticky tongue to collect them. The giant anteater is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Threats to its survival include habitat destruction and hunting. The anteater has been featured in pre-Columbian myths and folktales, and modern popular culture.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_anteater> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1614: Pocahontas, a Native American woman, married English colonist John Rolfe, leading to a period of peace between the Powhatan people and the inhabitants of Jamestown, Virginia. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas> 1944: Siegfried Lederer, a Czech Jew, escaped from Auschwitz with the aid of an SS officer who opposed the Holocaust. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siegfried_Lederer%27s_escape_from_Auschwitz> 1986: The Libyan secret service bombed a discotheque in West Berlin, resulting in three deaths and 229 others injured. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Berlin_discotheque_bombing> 2009: The North Korean satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 was launched from the Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground and passed over Japan, sparking concerns it may have been a trial run of technology that could be used to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwangmy%C5%8Fngs%C5%8Fng-2> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: snowcock: Any of several species of bird in the genus Tetraogallus of the pheasant family Phasianidae, native to mountain regions of Eurasia. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/snowcock> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: Character, not circumstances, makes the man. It is more important that we be prepared for voting than that we vote, more important that we be prepared to hold office than that we hold office, more important that we be prepared for the highest recognition than that we be recognized. --Booker T. Washington <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Booker_T._Washington> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe write to: [email protected] Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
