Edentata

Notes only!!!

Edentata

• This order is also known as Order Xenarthra. • Edentata means “without teeth.”• Members of this order include armadillos, sloths, and

anteaters.

Armadillo• Armadillos are very timid animals. • They can jump over 3 feet straight up in the air. • They are often run over by cars.

• Armadillos have a carapace, much like turtles. • It covers most of the body. • It is made up of bony plates covered with epidermal

scales.• This covering varies from a complete protective covering

when animals roll into a ball, to a more loose-fitting one that does not completely cover.

• The carapace is attached to the skeleton by muscles and ligaments.

• It is not directly attached to the skeleton.

Armadillo

• Armadillos have very sparse hair. • They do have teeth, but have no incisors or canines. • Their teeth are shaped like cylinders and they do not have

any roots.• Most armadillos are terrestrial and are very well-equipped

for digging. • They eat insects and insect larvae. • Occasionally, they will eat plants, eggs, or fruit.

Sloth

• There are 2 families of sloth: 3-toed and 2-toed. Characteristics are very similar for both families.

• Sloths are arboreal. • This means they are tree-dwellers and have great

difficulty moving on the ground. • They often move upside-down on the underside of

branches. • They are nocturnal and sleep about 15 hours a day.

Sloth

• Sloths are very long-limbed.• Their forelimbs are longer than their hindlimbs. • Sloths are also syndactyl, which means that their toes are

fused together. • Their cervical vertebrae vary in number, from 6-9. • Sloths do have teeth, but no incisors or canines. • The teeth are shaped like cylinders, have no roots, and

are homodontic. • Sloths have long, coarse hair on which blue-green algae

grows.

Sloth

• They are herbivores and will eat buds, flowers, and fruit. • Sloths have a very, very slow metabolism and very poor

temperature regulation. • The harpy eagle and the jaguar are the main predators of

sloths. • The sloth’s main defense is to nip and claw at its attacker. • Being camouflaged is also a good defense.

Anteater• Anteaters have a very long, tubular rostrum, or snout. • Their mouth is very small. • They have a long, sticky tongue that moves very quickly. • This tongue will flicke in and out about 160 times per

minute. • They do not have teeth. • Anteaters are insectivores. • They crush insects with their thickened stomach. • They have large front claws for opening up termite

mounds, tearing up rotting logs, etc. • These long claws curl under while the anteater walks on its

knuckles. • Anteaters are solitary.• They have terrible eyesight but a great sense of smell.

Armadillo Scientific Name

• Dasypus novemcinctus (9-Banded Armadillo)

Sloth Scientific Name

• Bradypus variegatus (Brown-throated 3-toed Sloth)

Anteater Scientific Name

• Myrmecophaga tridactyla (Giant Anteater)