Where do anteaters live?

The natural habitat of the anteater is in Central and South America. The giant anteater, which goes by the scientific name of mymecophaga tridactyla, favors grasslands and tropical forests, where ants are common.

While the giant anteater is the more commonly recognized anteater, there is also the silky anteater, which is much smaller and can be compared in size to a squirrel. Anteaters use their long tongues to lick the ants out of their nests, and to eat from their favorite feeding spots. They can grow up to 4 feet long, not including their tails, and their tongues can protrude as much as 2 feet.