Giant Anteater Is Latest Arrival at Howletts
July 07, 2013
Riding on mom’s back, a baby Giant
Anteater is the latest arrival at the United Kingdom’s Howletts Wild Animal Park.
Photo Credit: Dave Rolfe
Joel Bunce, head of the zoo’s hoofstock section, said: “We were delighted with this latest arrival. It’s been a long time since we had a Giant Anteater birth and this little one is getting on really well.”
The baby was born to female Fidgi and male Zet. According to zoo keepers, both are providing excellent care to their newborn.
Giant Anteaters are native to South America and females normally give birth to one baby at a time, after a gestation period of 190 days. Young are carried on their mother’s back and they may stay with their mothers for up to two years. Giant Anteaters are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Though their range extends from Honduras to Argentina, they are extirpated (regionally extinct) in some countries due to overhunting and habitat loss.