First Giant Anteater Born At Zoo Miami Makes Public Debut
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SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE (CBSMiami) – Zoo Miami visitors have a new amazing animal to see. His name is "Bowie" and he's the first giant anteater ever born at Zoo Miami.
Bowie's official debut took place Tuesday morning in the Amazon and Beyond exhibit.
Bowie was born on December 21st and has spent the last several weeks bonding with his mother. Zoo officials wanted to make sure he was developing properly prior to being put on public display.
During those weeks, the first-time mother demonstrated excellent maternal behavior and zoo officials decided Bowie was ready for the public to admire and appreciate.
Zoo Miami Communication Director Ron Magill says it's very special to have a new born anteater.
"It's almost like a computer dating system, there are zoos that recommend one mate for another mate, so the big challenge is to get a male and female together and then the secondary challenge is are they going to get along? And, the third challenge is are they fertile? So, all these things – all the stars have to align to make this happen – fortunately with these guys with Laura and her boyfriend and little Bowie is here."
Giant anteaters are the largest of three species of anteaters growing to a length of 7 feet and are found in the tropical grasslands of Central and South America. They are toothless mammals and have the longest tongue relative to their body size of any mammal. They use their powerful claws to dig through termite and ant nests where they can eat more than 30,000 of the invertebrates a day! And though they have no teeth, those powerful claws can be an excellent defense against any threat, including jaguars.
The newborn baby will ride on its mother's back for up to a year before becoming more independent.
