File:Guide leaflet (1901) (14764857611).jpg

Identifier: scienceguide7692amer (find matches)
Title: Guide leaflet
Year: 1901 (1900s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: American Museum of Natural History Natural history
Publisher: New York : The Museum
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: IMLS / LSTA / METRO

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from the fore-runners of the ungulates andthat the early tube-toothed termite eaters followed an evolutionarycourse not dissimilar to that of the hyraxes. HIOLOUY OF MAMMALS 19 Xenarthra. American edentates. (16, 50). The anteater.s, slothsand arniacUllos, though all related, externally have little in common.In spite of the fact that they are called edentates, only the anteuters aretruly toothless. The anteaters have long heads which accommodate thc^ long stickytongue with which they catch ants. The giant anteater or ant-bear(50) of South America, the largest of the order, attains a length of aboutfive feet, much of which is in its great, bristly, brush-like tail. Thetamandua (16) or arboreal anteater, is smaller and carries a prehensiletail. The two toed anteater is also prehensile tailed and arboreal, butis only as large as a squirrel. The sloths are so modified for tree life that they habitually hang backdownwards and walk with great difficulty on the ground. The feet and XENARTHRA
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GIANT ANT-EATER ^^/fJ-OM claws are modified into great hook s that circle the branches. The furwhich is long and coarse, in one species harbors a growing green plant,(alga) which gives the animal a greenish tinge and makes it very incon-spicuous up in the foliage. Ground-Uving sloths existed in North and South America untilrecent times. Some of these grew to be as large as Indian elephants.Skeletons of these are on view in the Hall of the Age of Man. 20 AMERICAN MUSEUM GUIDE LEAFLET The armadillos carry on their backs a jointed armour that containsbone. When attacked they roll up in this shelly armour and form analmost impregnable ball. Only one species is found in the United States, the nine-bandedarmadillo. In South America lives a pygmy armadillo, the pichiciago(16) which dwells under ground, and carries on its rump a solid plate ofbone firmly attached to the pelvis. With this it is said to block up itsburrow. The largest armadillo attains a length of about three feet.A fossil rela

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