or Ant-bear, in zoology; a genus of quadrupeds, belonging to the order of bruta; the characters of which are these: There are no teeth in the mouth; the tongue is long and cylindrical: the head terminates in a long snout or muzzle; and the body is covered with pretty long hair. There are four species, viz.
1. The didactyla, or little ant-eater, hath a conic nose bending a little down; ears small, and hid in the fur; two hooked claws on the fore-feet, the exterior being much the larger; four on the hind-feet; the head, body, limbs, and upper part and sides of the tail, covered with long soft silky hair, or rather wool, of a yellowish brown colour: from the nose to the tail it measures seven inches and an half; the tail eight and an half; the last four inches of which on the under side are naked. It is thick at the base, and tapers to a point. In inhabits Guinea, climbs trees in quest of a species of ants which build their nests among the branches: has a prehensible power with its tail.
2. The tridactyla, tamandua-guaca, or tamanoir, has three toes on the fore-feet, five on the hind-feet, and long hair on the tail. This animal is about four feet long, and the head and snout about 15 inches: it is a native of the East Indies, and feeds on ants, &c., in the same manner as the former.
3. The jubata, or great ant-eater, hath a long slender nose, small black eyes; short round ears; a slender tongue two feet and an half long, which lies double in the mouth; the legs slender; four toes on the fore-feet, five on the hind-feet; the two middle claws on the fore-feet very large, strong, and hooked; the hair on the upper part of the body is half a foot long, black mixed with grey; the fore-legs are whitish, marked above the feet with a black spot; the tail is clothed with very coarse black hair a foot long: the length from the nose to the tail about four feet; the tail, two feet and an half.
4. The tetradactyla, or middle ant-eater, has four toes on the fore-feet, and five on the hind, with a tail naked at the extremity; the length from the nose to the tail is one foot seven inches, and the tail ten inches.
These animals have many properties in common with each other, both in their structure and manners. They all feed upon ants, and plunge their tongues into honey and other liquid or viscid substances. They readily pick up crumbs of bread, or small morsels of flesh. They are easily tamed, and can subsist for a long time without food. They never swallow all the liquor which they take for drink; for a part of it falls back through their nostrils. They run so slowly that Myrmidons a man may easily overtake them in an open field.
Their flesh, though its taste be very disagreeable, is eaten by the savages.—At a distance the great ant-eater has the appearance of a fox; and for this reason some travellers have given him the name of the American fox. He has strength sufficient to defend himself from a large dog, or even from the jaguar or brasilian cat. When attacked, he at first fights on end, and, like the bear, annoys his enemy with the claws of his fore-feet, which are very terrible weapons. He then lies down on his back, and uses all the four feet; in which situation he is almost invincible; and continues the combat to the last extremity. Even when he kills his enemy, he quits him not for a long time after. He is enabled to resist better than most other animals; because he is covered with long bushy hair; his skin is remarkably thick; his flesh has little sensation; and his principle of life is very tenacious.