{"id":35270,"date":"2024-01-23T12:08:18","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T11:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/abc9970e-ec9c-43be-b81c-78dbd3b590e7"},"modified":"2024-01-23T13:35:46","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T12:35:46","slug":"giant-anteater-seen-in-southern-brazil-for-the-first-time-in-more-than-100-years","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/giant-anteater-seen-in-southern-brazil-for-the-first-time-in-more-than-100-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Giant anteater seen in southern Brazil for the first time in more than 100 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

A giant anteater has been spotted in the south-west of the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil more than a century after going locally extinct. Scientists believe the species dispersed from a growing population reintroduced by Rewilding Argentina in Iber\u00e1. <\/p>

By Daniel Graham\n <\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 23 January 2024 at 11:08 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Wildlife camera traps have recorded footage of a\u00a0giant anteater <\/a>(Myrmecophaga tridactyla<\/em>) wandering through scrubland in Espinilho State Park in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.\u00a0<\/p>

It is the first time since the 1890s that this large mammal has been seen in the south-west of Rio Grande do Sul state. Experts think the anteater came from Iber\u00e1, where a major rewilding project has been underway since 2007.<\/p>

The next step for researchers is to gather more data on the dispersal of the giant anteater in the region.<\/p>

Captured: Watch the giant anteater as it explores scrubland in Espinilho State Park. Credit: Fabio Diaz Mazim, Instituto Pr\u00f3-carn\u00edvoros<\/figcaption><\/figure>
The anteater was spotted by Brazilian biologist F\u00e1bio Mazim as he was reviewing hundreds of hours of footage for an Instituto Pr\u00f3-carn\u00edvoros<\/a> wildlife survey.<\/p>
Mazim and his colleagues confirmed the discovery with several videos recorded over a six-month period.<\/p>
“The animal seems to be in very good condition and established in the area,\u201d says Mazim.<\/p>
\u201cAt the moment it is impossible for us to determine if it is male or female, one or even several different individuals.\u201d<\/p>
According to\u00a0 WWF Brazil<\/a>, the species was once present in all 27 Brazilian states. It is now at threat of extinction in all regions of the country and has been lost from some states entirely. The main cause of the population decline is the degradation and loss of habitats. Hunting, road accidents and forest fires also play a part.<\/p>
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The footage was recorded on camera traps. Credit: Fabio Diaz Mazim, Instituto Pr\u00f3-carn\u00edvoros<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Where did the giant anteater come from?<\/h3>
Most experts \u2013 including Fl\u00e1via Miranda, president of the Tamandua Institute and a veterinarian who has been studying the species for 25 years \u2013 believe that the anteater came from Iber\u00e1 in Argentina: “It is almost certain that this animal has dispersed from the province of Corrientes, in Argentina, as part of the population reintroduced in the Iber\u00e1 wetlands; the geographical proximity and the morphological characteristics we observed in the animal lead us to this conclusion.”<\/p>
Giant anteaters were first reintroduced to Argentina\u2019s Iber\u00e1 Park in 2007 by Rewilding Argentina, the offspring organisation of Tompkins Conservation<\/a>. Much like giant anteaters in Brazil, the species has been in decline in Argentina for decades due to widespread habitat loss from deforestation and industrial agriculture, poaching and motor vehicle accidents. They’re also vulnerable to attacks by dogs. Since the start of the reintroduction program, 110 anteaters have been rescued and released and several generations now live in Iber\u00e1’s wetlands.<\/p>
More than 100 anteaters have been rescued and released in Iber\u00e1 Park. Credit: Fundacion Rewilding Argentina<\/figcaption><\/figure>
The sighting in Brazil\u2019s Rio Grande do Sul state, along with additional sightings over a 100-kilometre range, prove that Iber\u00e1’s growing population of giant anteaters is colonising other regions.<\/p>
Sebastian Di Martino, director of conservation for Rewilding Argentina, says: “Iber\u00e1 went from a place of massive defaunation to abundance. Rewilding multiple species is making it once again a functional ecosystem. We hope that these results are inspiring for rewilding initiatives everywhere. Now, through natural dispersal or assisted translocation, Iber\u00e1 can serve as a source of species for the greater region beyond Argentina experiencing massive biodiversity loss.”<\/p>
Kristine Tompkins, president and co-founder of Tompkins Conservation, adds: “The discovery of this giant anteater in the Espinilho State Park demonstrates that the recovery of nature is possible through rewilding. We must remember that wildlife does not recognize borders and make every effort between countries to ensure the success of large-scale restoration initiatives.”<\/p>
The giant anteater has been extinct in south-west Rio Grande do Sul since the 1890s. Credit: Fabio Diaz Mazim, Instituto Pr\u00f3-carn\u00edvoros<\/figcaption><\/figure>
The future for giant anteaters in Brazil<\/h3>
Fl\u00e1via Miranda believes that the giant anteater sighting in Rio Grande do Sul state “is the beginning of the species’ dispersal in southern Brazil and probably also in Uruguay.”<\/p>
“It is important to simulate hypothetical dispersal scenarios for the years ahead. For the next stage of the project, we intend to gather more information about the species in Rio Grande do Sul. Using camera traps, we will try to find out if there are more individuals in the area. We will also try and determine what the habitat is like that they have chosen to live in. <\/p>
“Furthermore, we intend to capture the individual sighted in Espinilho State Park, collect biological samples for health and mainly genetic analysis, and compare them with the populations that exist elsewhere in Brazil. We will also place a radio collar on the individual to assess the home range and space used by the species in this biome.<\/p>
“The project has been designed to help us evaluate the impact of the arrival of this specific population in Brazil. In a few years, these artificial populations will meet natural populations \u2013 this scenario could be positive or negative, depending on how they react to each other. We are trying to understand the whole picture so that the negative impacts are as minimal as possible.”<\/p>
$\"Flavia$
Fl\u00e1via Miranda, who has been studying giant anteaters for more than 20 years, says: “It is almost certain that this animal has dispersed from the province of Corrientes, in Argentina, as part of the population reintroduced in the Iber\u00e1 wetlands”. Credit: Joao Rosa National Geographic<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Giant anteaters in Iber\u00e1 Park<\/h3>
With its long tongue, unusual snout, muscular legs and chunky tail, the giant anteater is one of the most striking animals in Argentina. But it\u2019s also one of the county\u2019s most at risk.<\/p>
Rewilding Argentina is working to strengthen their population once more. Since the anteater reintroduction program began in 2007, more than 100 anteaters have been rescued and released in Iber\u00e1 Park, a vast area of wetland, Paran\u00e1 Atlantic forest, Chaco forest, open grasslands and thorny shrublands in Corrientes Province in northeastern Argentina.<\/p>
The project is also working to bring back a number of other species to Iber\u00e1 Park, including the jaguar<\/a>, pampas deer, giant otter<\/a>, red-and-green macaw, collared peccary and the bare-faced curassow.<\/p>
$\"Giant$
Giant anteaters can eat up to 30,000 ants and termites a day. Credit: Fundacion Rewilding Argentina\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Main image credit: Fundacion<\/em> Rewilding Argentina\u00a0<\/em><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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