A giant anteater is roaming through Brazilian grasslands.
The female is on the hunt
and she's not alone.
Her young will observe how to catch breakfast.
To unlock the tasty little insects,
the mother uses her special coloration,
her sharp claws
and her termite detector.
But how exactly do these secret weapons work?
The grasslands of Brazil's Central Highlands
are dotted with many mounds.
Termites are the architects of these massive houses.
A hard outer wall protects the social insects from most predators.
But not from giant ant eaters.
As the name already says,
the species is specialized in foraging for ants and termites.
The hunt starts with a scent.
The animal's nose is so precise that it can smell
which termite species is in front of it.
The powerful front legs, armed with impressively large claws,
make a perfect device for digging up the insects.
No mound can resist this savage onslaught.
Giant anteaters are edentates,
which is a fancy way to say that they don't have teeth.
Eating isn't a problem, though, because they have a unique tool.
A 60 cm long, sticky tongue
covered with little hooks.
Like cowboys, they snatch the well-armed soldier termites
and slurp them up.
Each sweep picks up dozens of insects.
Adults need to eat as many as 30.000 termites a day,
but only stay for a few licks at each mound.
Allowing the termites to rebuild and repopulate is important,
so that they can feed on them later.
After the long walk in search of food, this mother needs sleep,
but her baby has different ideas.
The little one wants to play.
She's both hungry and curious,
a ticklish combination for the mum.
The baby wants to explore everything.
But nights here can be cold
and as giant anteaters have the lowest body temperature of any mammal,
the young appreciate to have a massive tail as a blanket.
Finally.
It's no surprise that the daughter wasn't tired at all.
The pup spends the first year of its life riding on the mother's back.
The similar coloring allows the baby to vanish
while making its mother look bigger and less tempting to predators.
Other items of the species' protective gear are their "panda legs".
What is actually the giant anteater's front leg,
looks like a panda sniffing the ground.
The illusion is caused by the colors of the anteaters fur
as its black and white coat forms what looks like a panda's face.
Researchers think that the bold pattern may work as a warning coloration,
which directs a predator's attention to the defense itself.
The sharp claws.
With all these cool features,
the little family is out and about for many more termite adventures.
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