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Hiding in Plain Sight
NIGHT HUNTER: Silky anteaters are nocturnal, hunting only by night. During the day, they sleep curled up in trees.
Scientists have long believed silky anteaters living in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest were one distinct species. But now they think there are actually seven different species of the tiny tree-dwellers.
Flávia Miranda, an ecologist at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, noticed slight differences in the color of silky anteaters’ fur while studying them in the wild. She wondered if more than one anteater species was hiding in plain sight. To find out, Miranda collected samples of genetic material from 33 of the wild anteaters to examine their hereditary differences. She also examined their anatomy, or body structure, along with that of 280 museum specimens.
Miranda’s hunch was correct. The animals didn’t just look dissimilar. “The differences between the species are really genetic,” says Miranda.
EXCAVATORS: Anteaters use their claws to dig up anthills.
CHECKUP: Researchers take measurements of wild silky anteaters to help identify differences between species.