- Zoo members are taking care of this baby giant anteater after its mother rejected the newborn. Staff found the baby, believed to be a male, in a corner of its holding area on one of the coldest.
- Staff found the baby, believed to be a male, in a corner of its holding area on one of the coldest nights of the year. But it appears this little guy is a fighter. In the early morning of 12/8, Laura, a 7 year old giant anteater, gave birth!
Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota (/ f ɒ l ɪ ˈ d oʊ t ə /, from Ancient Greek ϕολιδωτός 'clad in scales'). The one extant family, Manidae, has three genera: Manis, Phataginus and Smutsia. Manis comprises the four species found in Asia, while Phataginus and Smutsia include two species each, all found in sub-Saharan Africa.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2012
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Saint Louis Zoo, 314/781-0900
Susan Gallagher, ext. 4633
Christy Childs, ext. 4639
Joanna Bender, ext. 4703
Web-ready photos at right. Hi-res photos available by emailing pr@stlzoo.org
BABY GIANT ANTEATER JOURNEYS OUTDOORS AT SAINT LOUIS ZOO
Birth is a rare event at the Zoo!
Baby Giant Anteater Pictures
Draped across her mother's back and blending in with the stripes and long hair is Sabia (pronounced sah-BEE-ya), a baby giant anteater born at the Saint Louis Zoo on August 14, 2012. She will be making her public debut with her mother today, Nov. 8, from about 1-2 p.m. at River's Edge. The viewing schedule for the anteater family is weather dependant and subject to change on a daily basis.
With a long snout and black-and-white stripes, she's a miniature version of her parents – mother Wendy, age 15, born at Phoenix Zoo and father Willie, age 11, born at Oklahoma City Zoo. She weighed just 3 pounds at birth.
This is the second baby for the parents, whose first baby was born at the Zoo in 2005.
Adult giant anteaters are the largest of the four anteater species and can grow up to be 50 inches long, plus 25 to 35 inches of fanlike tail. After a pregnancy of six months, anteaters give birth to a single baby. The small anteater nurses for six months and will stay with the mother for up to two years, until it reaches maturity. The newborn must learn to crawl up on the mother's back to rest while mom looks for food. Adult giant anteaters will eat up to 30,000 ants in one day. The tongue of an anteater will extend up to two feet to capture their prey.
Giant anteaters are in danger of extinction in the wild. They've disappeared from most of their historic range in Central America -- victims of habitat loss. In South America, these animals are often hunted as trophies or captured by animal dealers.
Baby Giant Anteater Born In Zoo
The Saint Louis Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the Zoo and River's Edge is free.
Baby Giant Anteater
For more information and photos visit stlzoo.org, facebook.com/stlzoo, twitter.com/stlzoo, and www.pinterest.com/stlzoo.
Baby Giant Anteater Miami Zoo
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