Meet the World's Smallest Anteater

If I were to tell you about a furry animal that lives high in the rainforest trees of Central and South America, climbing up with its two long claws and sleeping all day, you would assume I'm talking about a sloth. No, the silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus) may have borrowed some of its lifestyle from a sloth, but it eats ants. Otherwise, it doesn't much resemble anteaters you've seen before. The smallest species of all the anteaters, it has fluffy golden fur, a relatively short snout, and enters a state of semi-hibernation during the daylight hours. At night, it descends to the ground to browse for ants, in its own ecologically-sustainable way. 

Silky anteaters are tiny and cute, but what's really mind blowing is the method of camouflage they have developed to fool predators while they are sleeping. Read about the silky anteater and see plenty of pictures at The Ark In Space. 

(Image credit: Sylvère corre


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