Sunday, October 19, 2008

Teachings of the Giant Anteater: Enjoy the Scenery




Giant Anteater: Enjoy the Scenery

The largest of all the Anteaters, Giant Anteater is a comical looking Animal with her long nose and hairy tail. Rare among Mammals, Giant Anteater has no teeth. Sniffing out Ants with her spectacular nose, Giant Anteater vacuums Them up. (Her long nose is a bone tube fused by her upper and lower jaws.)

Shuffling along on her knuckles to protect her sharp claws, Giant Anteater roams the swamps and open forests of South America in search of tasty Insects. Smelling a Termite mound, She digs into it dislodging the hapless Insects. Discovering a log, Giant Anteater tears into it for Ants. Her acute hearing also allows Her to hear the Insects as They escape.

Because Giant Anteater has the lowest body temperature of any land Mammal, She has to sleep fifteen hours a day. Finding an abandoned burrow, She curls up and sleeps. Her long brushy tail acts as a sunshade and blanket.

Giant Anteater asks us to take the time to enjoy the scenery. Leisurely roaming from place to place, She finds new smells and sounds to delight in. Lingering long enough to savor them, Giant Anteater moves on to the next adventure.

Wisdom of the Giant Anteater:
Take the Slow Road
Make Time for Leisure
Sniffing Out Good Things

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Copyright: Virginia Carper, Animal Teachers, 2008

From Universal Class, fun self-paced classes:
Finding Your Animal Teachers
Animals For Everyone: Mammals

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UCIrvine has as their mascot the Anteater.

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