448 
MYRMECOP II A G A. 
from whence the body tapers towards the tail; but the 
thighs are thick and (lout. The colour of the animal is 
deep grey, with a very broad band of black running from 
the neck downwards, on each fide of the body, growing 
gradually narrower as it palfes down. This black band 
is accompanied on the upper part by a (freak of white ; 
the fore-legs are of a lighter calf than the hinder, and 
have a patch or fpot of black in front, not much above 
the foot; the tail is black, extremely long, and bufhy ; 
the hair on the whole body, but efpecially on the tail, is 
very harlh and coarfe; the two middle claws of the fore¬ 
feet are extremely large and llrong, which render this 
creature, though deftitute of teeth, a very formidable 
adverfary; fince it has been known to deftroy animals of 
lhuch greater apparent ifrength than itfelf, fixing its claws 
upon them, and exerting l'uch powerful ifrength as to 
kill them by continued laceration and prelfure. It is a 
native of Brafil and Guiana. It is chiefly a nocturnal 
animal, and is faid to deep during the greateft part of the 
day in retired places. Its pace is fomewhat flow, and its 
manners dull and heavy. It is faid to fwim with eafe, at 
which time it flings its tail over its back. A living fpe- 
cimen was brought from Buenos Ayres into Spain, in the 
year 1776, and kept in the royal menagerie at Madrid. In 
this (fate of confinement, it would readily eat raw meat 
cut (mail, and was faid to fwallow four or five pounds in 
a day. Its length was fix feet from the nofe to the end of 
the tail, and its height was two feet. But the fpecimen in 
the Leverian Mufeum (now, alas ! no longer exilting), 
from which fig. 1. on the annexed Engraving was copied, 
was fuperior in fize to any we have before heard of. 
Feet. Inches. 
Its whole length was - 7 4 
The tail - - - 2 9 
From tip of the nofe to the ears -10 
Length of the hairs of the mane 1 o 
---of the tail - 1 2 
Height to the top of the fhoulders 2 o" 
2. Mynnecophaga tetradadfyla, the middle ant-eater: 
four toes on the fore-feet, five on the hind, and half-naked 
prehenfile tail. This fpecies, which is far inferior in fize 
to the former, has a long (lender nofe, bending down a 
little: the mouth is black : the eyes l'mall: the ears fmall 
and upright. The general colour of the animal is a 
palifli yellow-brown ; the hair fomewhat (hining, and of 
a hard nature : on each fide of the neck is an oblique 
black or dufky band, eroding the lhoulders, and palling 
towards the lower part of the back: the tail, which is 
covered with longer hair than the back, is thickilh at the 
bafe, but tapers towards the end, where it is nearly bare, 
having the fame prehenfile power as in fome of the 
monkeys. On each of the fore-feet are four toes, armed 
with ftrong claws, the middle ones extremely fo. On the 
hind feet are five claws, fmall in comparison with the 
former. The length of the animal from nofe to tail is 
one foot feven inches : of the tail ten inches. It inhabits 
the fame parts of South America with the great ant-eater, 
and its manners are fimilar. It alfo climbs trees, and 
occafionally clings by its tail to the branches. This is 
reprefented at fig. 2. 
3. Mynnecophaga trida&yla, the three-toed ant-eater: 
three toes on the fore-feet, four on the hind ; tail villofe. 
This, which mull be confidered as an obfeure fpecies, 
feems to have been firft mentioned by Seba, and from him 
adopted by Linnaeus and Briflon. The figures, however, 
which Seba gives, reprefent equally well the four-toed 
ant-eater, or Mynnecophaga tetradadyla of Linnaeus, 
from which they only appear to differ in having pendu¬ 
lous ears, and three toes inltead of four on the fore-feet. 
It therefore leems highly probable, that this fuppoled 
fpecies may be rather a variety of the M. tetradaftyla 
than truly diftinft. Linnaeus, in his flight defeription, 
mentions a lateral black band, and adds, that the tail is 
broad and villofe, and that the animal carries it over its 
back and covers itfelf with it: he alfo fays that the back 
has a longitudinal mane. It is a native, according to 
Linnseus, of India. 
The three-toed ant-eater of Seba may, therefore, be a 
mere variety of the four-toed, or tetradadfyla; and per¬ 
haps neither the black lateral band nor the pendulous 
ears ought to be confidered as conflituting a permanent 
or fpecific character. It is remarkable that Mr. Pennant, 
in his Hiftory of Quadrupeds, makes no mention of M. 
tridaftyla. On the other hand, we ought not to omit 
an obfervation of Mr. Vofmaer, who received from the 
Cape of Good Hope a fpecimen preferved in fpirits of 
wine, and which he fuppofed to be a new-born animal, 
though as large as a young pig. He affirms that Seba’s 
figures are very good ; that they reprefent a perfedily- 
diftindt fpecies, viz. that of which he received the young 5 
but that the fore-feet are furniflied with four claws. 
Thus, in l-eality, the Seban animal, though erroneoufly 
mentioned as having only three toes on the fore-feet, 
may (till be, in all Other refpedts, a very exadt reprefenta- 
tion of a fpecies not yet perfectly deferibed ; while the 
Linntean tridadtyla mult continue unknown, unlefs he 
really meant the animal of Seba. 
4. Myrmecophaga didadtyla, the little ant-eater : two 
toes on the fore-feet, four on the' hind, and a buftiy tail. 
This is an animal of great elegance. It is not fuperior in 
fize to a fquirrel; meafuring little more than feven inches 
from the nofe to the tail, which is longer than the body 
and head. The head is fmall; the fnout (harpened, and 
(lightly bent downwards; the legs are fhort; the fore-feet 
have only two claws on each, the exterior one much 
larger and ftronger than the interior; on each of the hind- 
feet are four claws of moderate fize; the ears are fmall, 
and hidden in the fur; the eyes are alfo fmall. The 
whole animal is covered with a beautiful, foft, and fome¬ 
what crifped or curled, fur, of a pale yellow colour, or 
rather yellow-brown ; the tail, which is very thick at the 
beginning or bafe, gradually tapers to the tip; and the 
lower furface, for about the fpace of four inches from the 
tip, is bare; the tail in this fpecies being prehenfile, and 
the animal commonly refiding on trees, and preying on 
ants, by means of its long tongue, in the manner of other 
fpecies. It is a native of Guiana ; walks (lowly on its 
heels; feeds only in the night, and emits no cry. See 
fig- 3 - 
5. Myrmecophaga pentadaftyla, the ftriped ant-eater: 
five toes on the fore-feet; the upper jaw longer than the 
lower. This is from the 3d vol. of the Supplement to 
Buffon’s Quadrupeds. The nofe is taper; the upper 
mandible extending very far beyond the lower : the eyes 
extremely fmall: the ears round and fliort: the tail covered 
with long hairs, fo as to have a bufhy appearance. The 
body and tail are of a yellowiffi-brown or tawny-colour; 
with the under parts white : the body is marked with 
broad, diftant, blackifh, tranfverl'e, (tripes, and the tail is 
annulated with fimilar ones. The length of the fpecimen, 
from nofe to tail, was thirteen French inches; of the tail 
feven inches and a half. It is a native of Guiana. See 
fig. 4. 
6. Myrmecophaga Capenfis, the Cape ant-eater: four 
toes on the fore-feet; fnout long; ears large and pen¬ 
dant ; tail fhorter than the body, and attenuated towards 
the tip. This is a large animal, meafuring about three 
feet and a half from the tip of the nofe to the beginning 
of the tail; and the tail meafures one foot nine inches. 
The general colour of the animal is grey, tinged with 
reddifh on the fides and belly : the legs are blackiffi. 
The head is of a conic (hape ; the nofe long, and fome¬ 
what abruptly blunt at the end like that of a hog: the 
tongue is very long, flat, and (lender : the ears about fix 
inches long, and extremely thin; they are al(o thinly 
fcattered over with fine hairs. The hair on the head and 
upper parts is fliort, and lies clofe or fmooth as if glued 
to the (kin ; it is longed and loofeft on the fides and legs : 
the tail is thick at the bafe, and gradually tapers to a 
4 point. 
