Friday, August 31, 2007

The Silky Anteater

Okay, I've officially found the cutest creature to have ever existed! This would be the Silky Anteater. It is a tiny, golden colored anteater native to central and south America. Very little is known about it, partially because it makes no noise (this fact is unverified but assumed to be true), it is nocturnal, and it is very difficult to find. It eats 5,000 ants a day, in comparison to the Giant Anteater's 30,000 ants a day. What an eater! As you can see from the picture, it is extremely fuzzy. This is so that it can blend in. It camouflages with the silky seed pods of kapok trees; any self-respecting predatory bird wouldn't want to be seen munching on a seed pod. It moves very slowly, like a chameleon, which just adds to the cuteness. Click here to see a couple of videos of the cuteness in action. The anteater also has a very endearing way of defending itself: it places its claws up to its face as if it's pretending you don't exist, like a little child or something. This pose is seen in the second picture.