The National Zoo is celebrating its first birth of an anteater.
One of the zoo’s giant anteaters, Maripi, gave birth July 24 — a surprise to animal keepers because they weren’t expecting the baby until this month.
Zoo veterinarians have not determined the sex of the baby — and may not for some time.
Zoo keepers said Maripi is showing good maternal instincts.
They said she is being patient as the baby tries different ways of climbing onto her back.
Giant anteaters live in grasslands, swamps, humid forests and wetlands. Their habitat spans most of Latin America — from Belize to Argentina.
The animals have long noses and sticky tongues that can extend two feet to grab up to 30,000 ants a day for their meals.
Advertisement
Please read our comment policy before commenting.