Largest living pilosan

The largest living pilosan is the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) of Central and South America, typically growing to a total length of between 1.2 and 2 metres (3 feet 11 inches and 6 feet 6 inches), though individual specimens up to 2.8 metres (9 feet 2 inches) have been documented. Of this length, 0.6–0.9 metres (1 foot 11 inches and 2 feet 11 inches) is comprised of the animal’s large, bushy tail. Adults typically weigh in the range of 22–39 kilograms (48–85 pounds).

Pilosa is a group of mammals native to South and Central America that includes anteaters, tamanduas and sloths.

Pilosans also include the extinct giant ground sloths, the largest of which measured some 6 metres (19 feet 8 inches) long and weighed more than five tonnes (11,023 pounds).

As its name suggests, the giant anteater's primary diet is ants, though it also eats termites. It uses its super-long, worm-like tongue – which can grow up to 60 centimetres (1 foot 11 inches) – to raid the nests of these insects, of which it can consume around 30,000 in a day.