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These cute pictures show a rare giant anteater pup riding on its mum's back - after being born at a UK wildlife park.
Little Anthony was born to parents Zorro and Zeta at Cotswold Wildlife Park last week, just in time for World Anteater Day (19 November 2024)
He is the third breeding success for the parents since their arrival at the park in Burford in 2010.
The park is just one of only two collections in the UK to have bred giant anteaters in the last 12 months.
Senior mammal keeper Jenni Maxwell discovered the new pup during her morning keeper duties.
She said: "Zeta very proudly sat up in her bed at 7am on a Sunday morning and lifted her tail to show off her newborn pup.
"She is a brilliant mother, is very patient and allows the youngster to climb onto her back before making her way out of bed.
"The pup will stay on her back for the first few months of his life and he will align his stripe markings on his back with hers to provide camouflage.
"Anthony has a bright white stripe down his back and his tail, which is rather unusual for Anteater pups."
Anteaters are generally solitary animals, except during the mating season.
After a gestation period of around 190 days, the female produces a single pup which weighs approximately 1.3kg.
The female gives birth standing up and the young anteater immediately climbs onto her back.
The young are born with a full coat of hair and adult-like markings, aligning with their mother’s camouflaging.
A mother will carry the baby on her back for approximately six to nine months- until it is almost half her size.
The young suckle for two to six months and become independent after roughly two years, or when the mother becomes pregnant again.
The giant anteater is considered to be one of the most threatened mammals of Central America and is feared extinct in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala and Uruguay, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Giant anteaters are listed as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species.
Habitat loss, roadkills, hunting and wildfires have substantially affected their population numbers over the last ten years. Scientists estimate that 5,000 individuals are left in the wild.
Where: Cotswolds, United Kingdom
When: 06 Nov 2024
Credit: CelebrityPhotosUK/Cover Images
2024-11-06
Cover Images/East News
Cover Images
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7,33MB
31cm x 31cm by 300dpi
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