172 TOOTHLESS MAMMALS 



different purpose. Its use is to cover the owner when asleep. 

 When the animal lies down to sleep, the tail is flung over the 

 body, and the long, wavy hair forms a thatch so thick that 

 no other portion of the creature is .visible. It looks like a 

 pile of brown hay. A medium-sized specimen that lived for 

 about a year in the New York Zoological Park measured 12 

 inches in length of head; the neck and body, 31 inches; and 

 tail vertebrae, 26 inches. 



In its wild state the Ant-Eater feeds upon ants, which it 

 devours in great quantities. In fact, Nature has provided 

 this Family of animals in order to restrict the number of 

 plague-like ants which, even with Ant-Eaters in the forests, 

 are entirely too numerous. Its long and powerful front claws 

 are very useful in tearing open ant-hills, and dissecting decayed 

 logs, but as a means of defence they are quite inadequate. 

 Neither are they well formed to walk upon. The tongue is 

 very long and slender, and can be thrust out 9 inches; but, 

 contrary to innumerable misstatements, it is as clean and 

 smooth as the tongue of a dog, and is not coated with sticky 

 saliva, or anything like it. 



This animal is very clumsy on its feet, and being defence- 

 less, unable to climb and too large to live in a burrow, it is 

 a wonder that all the Great Ant-Eaters were not killed and 

 devoured long ago, by jaguars and pumas. Although quite 

 rare, even in South America, a goodly number of specimens 

 find their way into captivity. Until settled down sensibly 

 to a diet of chopped meat, milk and eggs, they are difficult 

 to keep alive. One specimen persistently refused to eat 

 ants. 



