<em>By Leigh Pitsko and Marie Magnuson, Animal Keepers
Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, Washington, DC</em>

<strong>Introduction</strong>

The giant anteater (<em>Myrmecophaga tridactyla</em>) does not show any obvious physical or behavioral indicators of pregnancy (DeBeauchamp et al., 2005; Patzl et al., 1998; Kusuda et al., 2010).  In reports from zoos around the world, it is not uncommon to hear about “surprise” giant anteater births, where keepers were unaware that the animal was pregnant.  An unexpected birth may yield neonate deaths, as the male is recommended to be separated from the female prior to the birth to prevent potential injury to the pup (Patzl et al., 1998).  Also, preparations need to be made in advance as the pup may require supplemental feeding or special veterinary care if there are any post-birth complications.

I was interested in collecting data during our giant anteater’s pregnancy to determine if there were any behavioral or physical signs of her pregnancy that could be observed by a keeper during normal husbandry practices.  This information could be useful to keepers who are unable to handle or ultrasound their giant anteaters and could be beneficial in preventing unexpected births.

<strong>Methods</strong>

The following information (food consumption, activity level, and spotting) was collected daily, beginning when our giant anteaters were introduced for breeding in April 2010, through the birth of their pup in December 2010.  The rust-colored spotting is what we believe to be a vaginal secretion that we find in the female anteater’s sleeping crate.  Weight was also recorded on a weekly basis.  These categories were chosen as they are readily observable by keepers on a daily basis, do not require handling the animal, and they require no special equipment other than a scale.  This anteater’s pregnancy was also confirmed via weekly ultrasound as routine practice with this particular animal.

<strong>Results</strong>

Food Consumption: This giant anteater (Maripi) is fed a gruel made of ground Mazuri® insectivore chow mixed with water twice a day.  Her morning food consumption decreased during the months where breeding was seen and then it increased steadily throughout her pregnancy (Graph 1).  At the start of breeding in April she was consuming approximately 25% of her morning diet, which went down to nearly 0% in June when the breeding ended.  By the time of birth in December she was eating about 55% of her morning diet.  Her evening food consumption did not show any significant changes and remained steady at about 85% throughout the entire period of data collection.

Activity Level: For the first three months after breeding, Maripi was more active in the morning and was relatively easy to move for shifting. Approximately two months before the birth, she spent increasingly more time sleeping in the morning and was difficult to wake up for shifting (Graph 2).  Her evening activity level did not change as she was always up and moving around in the late afternoon.

<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-2539" title="Giant Anteater" src="http://aecetia.net/gws/aazk/wp-content/uploads/anteater-1024x684.jpg" alt="Giant Anteater" width="614" height="410" />

Giant anteater pup, National Zoological Park.    <em>Photo by Mehgan Murphy</em>

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