Myrmecophaga Tamandua †Neotamandua †Protamandua The Myrmecophagidae are a family of anteaters, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek words for 'ant' and 'eat' (μύρμηκος, murmekos, and φάγος, phagos).

They have powerful claws on their toes, enabling them to rip open termite mounds and ant nests to eat the insects inside.

Myrmecophagids typically give birth to one offspring at a time, and the cub lives on its mothers back for 6–9 months after it is born.

[3] Edentates (meaning without teeth) diverged from insectivores during the Cretaceous period, roughly 135 million years ago.

The fossil record of the family Myrmecophagidae dates to the Early Miocene in South America, roughly 25 million years ago.