Anteaters in the Wild

There are four species of anteaters alive today, including the Southern Tamandua, Northern Tamandua, Silky Anteater and Giant Anteater. I'm pretty sure all of them are kept as pets, though the Tamanduas are the most commonly seen.
Tamanduas live in grasslands and forests and are semi-arboreal (able to climb but also spend time on the ground), using their partially prehensile tail to aid in their climbing. They mainly eat ants and termites, but will also occasionally eat bees, beetles, insect larvae, and in captivity will also eat fruit and meat. Because they have no teeth, they use their gizzards to break down food.
The Northern Tamandua (T. mexicana) ranges in southeastern Mexico south throughout Central America and in South America west of the Andes from northern Veenzuela to northern Peru.
Southern Tamanduas (T. tetradactyla), also called Collared or Lesser Anteaters, are found from Venezuela and Trinidad to northern Argentina, southern Brazil and Uruguay. There are four subspecies of the Southern Anteater.

Tamanduas tongues can reach 16 inches in length and they have four large claws on the front feet and five on the hind feet. Their fur is thick and bristly.
They are nocturnal, active at night and hiding in burrows or hollow trees during the day. The spend up to half their time in treetops, foraging to ants and termites. They use musk to mark their territory, smearing it on rocks, trees, logs and other land marks.

Southern Tamanduas generally breed during the fall, with a gestation of 130-190 days, young being born in the spring. They have a white to black coat when born, and cling to their mother's back for a period of time, sometimes waiting on a branch while their mother forages.
They are solitary, living in home ranges of 250-30 acres, depending on the environment. They communicate through hisses and releasing musk from their glands. They are unable to gallop like the Giant Anteater.

They use their forearms in self-defense. They don't have very good vision, because of small eyes, and use their sense of smell and hearing to find food.

Tamanduas are sometimes used by local people where they live to keep termites and ants away from their houses.They are also hunted, as people claim they kill dogs. The strong tendons of their tails are also used to make rope.