Giant Anteater

The giant anteater is one of the most impressive species to have been successfully reintroduced to the Iberá ecosystem. These are large animals — up to 45 kilograms, nearly 2 metres from snout to tail tip — and they are now reliably encountered in the savannah and wetland-edge habitats within the national park.

Giant anteaters feed exclusively on ants and termites, consuming up to 35,000 insects per day using a tongue that can extend 60 centimetres and flicks in and out of a mound up to 150 times per minute. They have no teeth, virtually no vision beyond a few metres, and rely entirely on smell to find food. Despite their comical appearance, they are powerful animals with claws strong enough to tear apart concrete-hard termite mounds. Females carry young on their backs for up to a year. Park rangers and guides track individuals through the park, and daytime vehicle tours regularly encounter them. Morning and late afternoon are the most productive times.

things to do nature wildlife
A story
The giant anteater was completely absent from Corrientes for most of the 20th century, hunted to local extinction. The first individuals were reintroduced to Iberá in 2007, and the programme has been so successful that the population now numbers in the hundreds. Anteaters require grassland with active termite mounds, and the wetland-adjacent savannah of Iberá provides ideal habitat. Seeing a giant anteater in the wild — with its absurd elongated snout, shaggy grey fur, and lumbering walk — is one of the more surreal wildlife experiences in South America.