Giant Anteaters Alter Behavior in Response to Rising Temperatures, Study Reveals
A 25-year camera-trap study, the longest ever conducted on giant anteaters, has revealed that these elusive mammals are changing their behavior in response to increasing temperatures. Researchers conducted 34 camera-trap surveys across 23 sites in northern Bolivia, encompassing tropical forests, savannas, and montane forests. The findings, published in the journal Xenarthra, indicate that giant anteaters are more commonly found in tropical savannas with forest patches rather than in areas dominated by Amazonian rainforest. Crucially, the study observed that in savannas, anteaters are becoming increasingly active during the night when temperatures drop, a shift from their primarily diurnal activity in cooler tropical rainforests. This behavioral adaptation suggests a response to thermal stress, with forest patches providing important thermal refuges. 
