CHAPTER XXI.

_THE SLOTHS, ANT-EATERS, AND ARMADILLOS._

BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S.

The very remarkable assemblage of animals we are now about to consider includes many diverse forms, bracketed together to constitute one great group; and this on account of the peculiarities of the structure and distribution of the teeth, which are never present in the front of the jaw, and may be absent altogether. Of the five groups recognised, three occur in the New and two in the Old World. All have undergone very considerable modification of form and structure, and in every case this modification has tended to render them more perfectly adapted to an arboreal or terrestrial existence. Flying or aquatic types are wanting. Whilst one great group--the Sloths--is entirely vegetarian, the others feed either on flesh or insects.

THE SLOTHS.

In the matter of personal appearance Nature has not been kind to the SLOTH, though it is certainly true that there are many uglier animals--not including those, such as some of the Monkey Tribe and certain of the Swine, which are positively hideous. The mode of life of the sloth is certainly remarkable, for almost its whole existence is passed among the highest trees of the densest South American forests, and passed, too, in a perfectly topsy-turvy manner, inasmuch as it moves from bough to bough with its legs up in the air and its back towards the ground. It walks and sleeps suspended beneath the boughs instead of balanced above them, securely holding itself by means of powerful hooked claws on the fore and hind feet. This method of locomotion, so remarkable in a mammal, coupled with the deliberate fashion in which it moves, and the air of sadness expressed in its quaint physiognomy--large-eyed, snub-nosed, and earless--on which there seems to dwell an ever-present air of resignation, led the great Buffon to believe that the sloth was a creature afflicted of God for some hidden reason man could not fathom! His sympathy was as certainly wasted as his hasty conclusion was unjustified. There can be no doubt but that the life led by the sloth is at least as blissful as that of its more lively neighbours--the spider monkeys, for instance. Walking beneath the boughs comes as natural to the sloth as walking on the ceiling to the fly.

The sloth sleeps, as we have already remarked, suspended from a bough. During this time the feet are drawn close together, and the head raised up and placed between the fore legs, as in the cobego, which we depicted asleep on page 170, as our readers will remember. In the sleeping position the sloth bears a striking resemblance to the stump of a lichen-covered bough, just as the cobego resembles a fruit. Thus is protection from enemies gained. The resemblance to lichen is further aided by the fact that the long, coarse hair with which the sloth is clothed becomes encrusted with a peculiar green alga--a lowly form of vegetable growth--which lodges in certain grooves or flutings peculiar to the hair of this animal. Such a method of protection is unique amongst the Mammalia. As the sloths sleep by day and feed by night, the usefulness of such a method of concealment is beyond question.

The strange form of locomotion of the sloths renders separate fingers and toes unnecessary, and so the fingers and toes have come to be enclosed in a common fold of skin, extending down to the base of the claws.

The sloths stand out in strong contrast to the volatile spider monkeys, with whom they share the forest; these have added a fifth limb in the shape of a prehensile tail, by which they may suspend themselves at will. The sloths, on the contrary, have no tail; they move deliberately, and do not require it. The monkeys move by prodigious leaps, taken not seldom by gathering impetus by swinging on their tails.

The great naturalist Bates writes of the sloth: "It is a strange sight to watch this uncouth creature, fit production of these silent shades, lazily moving from branch to branch. Every movement betrays, not indolence exactly, but extreme caution. He never loses his hold from one branch without first securing himself to the next.... After watching the animal for about half an hour, I gave him a charge of shot; he fell with a terrific crash, but caught a bough in his descent with his powerful claws, and remained suspended. Our Indian lad tried to climb the tree, but was driven back by swarms of stinging ants; the poor little fellow slid down in a sad predicament, and plunged headlong into the brook to free himself."

On another occasion the same writer tells us he "saw a sloth swimming across a river at a place where it was 300 yards broad. I believe it is not generally known that this animal takes to the water. Our men caught the beast, cooked and ate him."

In past ages gigantic ground-sloths roamed over South America. The largest of these, the Megatherium, rivalled the elephant in size. Descendants of these giants appear to have lingered on till comparatively recent times, as witness the wonderful discovery by Moreno, made during last year (1900) in a cave in Patagonia. This was nothing less than a skull and a large piece of the hide of one of these monsters in a wonderful state of preservation, showing indeed undoubted traces of blood and sinew. That the hide was removed by human hands there can be no doubt, for it was _rolled up_ and turned inside-out. Immediately after this discovery was announced, an expedition was dispatched from England to hunt, not so much for more remains, but for the animal itself. Time will show whether these efforts will prove successful.

THE ANT-EATERS.

Unlike as the ant-eaters are to the sloths, they are nevertheless very closely related thereto. This unlikeness at the present day is so great that, were it not for "missing-links" in the shape of fossils, we should probably never have discovered the relationship. The head of the typical ant-eaters has been drawn out into a long tubular muzzle, at the end of which is a tiny mouth just big enough to permit the exit of a long worm-like tongue, covered with a sticky saliva. This tongue is thrust out with great rapidity amongst the hosts of ants and termites and their larvæ, on which they prey. These victims are captured by breaking open their nests. At once all the active inhabitants swarm up to the breach, and are instantaneously swept away by the remorseless tongue. The jaws of the ant-eaters are entirely toothless, and the eyes and ears are very small.

The largest species of ant-eater is about 4 feet long. It lives entirely upon the ground. Generally speaking, it is a harmless creature; but at times, when cornered, it will fight furiously, sitting up on its hind legs and hugging its foe in its powerful arms. Bates, the traveller-naturalist, relates an instance in which a dog used in hunting the GREAT ANT-EATER was caught in its grip and killed. The tail of this large species is covered with very long hair, forming an immense brush. The claw on the third toe of each fore limb is of great size, and used for breaking open ants' and other insects' nests.

But besides the great ground ant-eater there are some tree-haunting species. These have a shorter muzzle, and short hair on the tail, which is used, as with the spider monkeys, as a fifth limb. Curled round the bough of a tree, its owner is free to swing himself out on to another branch.

The smallest of the tree-dwelling species is not larger than a rat, and is a native of the hottest parts of the forests of South and Central America. The muzzle in this species is quite short, not long and tubular, as in the larger species. It is a very rare animal, or is at least very seldom seen, a fact perhaps due to its small size. It is known as the TWO-TOED ANT-EATER, only the second and third fingers of the fore feet bearing claws.

Von Sack, in his "Narrative of a Voyage to Surinam," tells us that the natives of Surinam call this little animal "Kissing-hand"--"as the inhabitants pretend that it will never eat, at least when caught, but that it only licks its paws, in the same manner as the bear; that all trials to make it eat have proved in vain, and that it soon dies in confinement. When I got the first, I sent to the forest for a nest of ants; and during the interim I put into its cage some eggs, honey, milk, and meat; but it refused to touch any of them. At last the ants' nest arrived, but the animal did not pay the slightest attention to it either. By the shape of its fore paws, which resemble nippers, I thought that this little creature might perhaps live on the nymphæ of wasps, etc. I therefore brought it a wasps' nest, and then it pulled out with its nippers the nymphæ from the nest, and began to eat them with the greatest eagerness, sitting in the posture of a squirrel. I showed this phenomenon to many of the inhabitants, who all assured me that it was the first time they had ever known that species of animal take any nourishment."

THE ARMADILLOS.

Readers of this book will doubtless have noticed long ere this how manifold are the devices for the purpose of defence adopted by the Mammalia. The ARMADILLOS have certainly selected the most complete, having encased themselves in an impenetrable bony armour as perfect as the coat of mail of the warrior of the Middle Ages. Concerning this and the variations thereon adopted by the different members of the group we shall speak presently.

Armadillos are mostly confined to South America, and occur both in the open pampas and the shady depths of the forest. They live in burrows, which they dig with incredible speed. These burrows are generally found in the vicinity of the nests of ants and termites, which form their staple diet. One species, however, at least feeds apparently with equal relish upon vegetable matter, eggs, young birds, mice, snakes, and carrion.

The bony armour is disposed over the crown of the head, back, and flanks. It is made up of numerous small, bony plates, buried deep in the skin, and each overlaid by a horny scale. The tail is protected by bony rings. The plates covering the shoulders and those directly over the hindquarters fuse into a solid mass, thus forming chambers into which the limbs can be withdrawn. In the region of the body, between these two shields, the plates are arranged in rows encircling the body, thus permitting the animal to roll itself up as occasion may require. Hairs grow out between the plates, and in some cases give the animal quite a furry appearance.

Speaking of the burrowing powers of the armadillo, Darwin, in his most fascinating "Voyage of the Beagle," tells us that "the instant one was perceived, it was necessary, in order to catch it, almost to tumble off one's horse; for in soft soil the animal burrowed so quickly that its hinder quarters would almost disappear before one could alight. It seems almost a pity to kill such nice little animals; for as a Gaucho said, while sharpening his knife on the back of one, 'Son tan mansos' (They are so quiet)." As a rule, armadillos are regarded as animals loving dry, sandy wastes; nevertheless, they are said to be able to swim both well and swiftly. The flesh of the armadillo is apparently by no means unpalatable.

THE PICHICIAGO.

One of the most remarkable of the armadillos is the PICHICIAGO, or FAIRY ARMADILLO. It is a tiny creature of some 5 inches long, found in the sandy wastes of the western part of the Argentine Republic. The horny covering of the bony plates is pinkish colour, and the hair is silky in texture and snow-white. But it is not on this account that the fairy armadillo is remarkable: its claim to notoriety rests on the peculiar arrangement of the bony plates constituting the armour. These bony plates are small and thin, and covered, as in other species, with a horny coat; but instead of being embedded in the skin, they are attached only along the middle of the back, and project freely over the body on either side, leaving a space between the shield and the body. The hinder end of the body is specially protected by a nearly circular vertical shield, firmly fixed to the hip-girdle. This shield, it is said, is used as a plug to fill up its burrow with.

THE PELUDO.

Armadillos of the normal type, wherein the body armour is embedded in the skin, are represented by numerous species. Of one, known as the PELUDO, Mr. Hudson has given us some interesting details. "It feeds," he tells us, "not only upon insects, but also upon vegetable matter, eggs, young birds, and carrion. Its method of capturing mice was certainly ingenious. It hunted by smell, and when nearing its prey became greatly agitated. The exact spot discovered, the body was raised slowly to a sitting posture, and then flung suddenly forwards, so that the mouse or nest of mice was imprisoned beneath, and promptly dispatched." "Still more remarkable," says Mr. Lydekker, "is the manner in which a peludo has been observed to kill a snake, by rushing upon it and proceeding to saw the unfortunate reptile in pieces by pressing upon it closely with the jagged edges of its armour, and at the same time moving its body backwards and forwards. The struggles of the snake were all in vain, as its fangs could make no impression upon the panoply of its assailant, and eventually the reptile slowly dropped and died, to be soon afterwards devoured by the armadillo, which commenced the meal by seizing the snake's tail in its mouth, and gradually eating forwards."

THE PANGOLINS.

The PANGOLINS, or SCALY ANT-EATERS, are perhaps even more curious creatures than the armadillos. They have been likened in appearance to animated spruce fir-cones, to which indeed they bear a strange resemblance. This resemblance is due to the wonderful armature of the skin, which takes the form of large overlapping, pointed, horny plates or scales. The pangolins are confined to the Old World, occurring in South Africa and South-eastern Asia. Like the American Ant-eaters, teeth are wanting, and the tongue is long and worm-like, being employed in the capture of insects, as in the New World ant-eaters.

The scales of the MANIS are formed by the fusion together of fine hairs. Like the spines of the hedgehog and porcupine, they serve the purpose of offensive defence; for when the manis rolls itself up, these pointed scales project at right angles to the body, and offer a formidable resistance to any enemy whatsoever. They also serve to break the force of a fall, which, indeed, is often voluntary; for should the animal wish to descend from the branch of a tree, it will often take a short cut to the ground by deliberately dropping, the force of the fall being entirely broken by the elastic scales.

In climbing, the tail is of the greatest service, its under-surface being clothed with pointed scales, which serve as so many climbing-hooks. The grasp of a tree-trunk gained by the hind legs and tail is so secure that the body can be moved to a horizontal position with ease. In a specimen kept in captivity by Mr. Fraser, this horizontal movement was a form of exercise which appeared to afford the greatest pleasure.

THE AARD-VARK.

The custom of naming newly discovered animals after well-known forms to which they are supposed to bear some resemblance, physically or otherwise, is a common one. The animal now under consideration shows this once more, having originally received the name of AARD-VARK (Earth-pig) from the Boers of the Cape. The aard-vark is a most decidedly ugly animal, and justifies its name in several particulars. It is hunted for the sake of its hide, which is of great thickness and resembles that of the pig, but is sparsely covered with hairs, the general shape of its body being not unlike that of a long-headed, short-legged, heavy-tailed pig. The whole animal is about 6 feet long. In a wild state, or even in captivity, it is but rarely seen, since it is a night-feeder, and passes the day in sleep deep down in a burrow. This burrow it digs for itself with the aid of powerful claws borne on the fore feet. It lives principally on ants and termites, breaking down their nests, and remorselessly sweeping up the frightened occupants with a long, sticky tongue, as soon as they rush to the seat of the disturbance which has broken up the harmony and order of their community. At one time it was believed that the aard-vark was a close ally of the pangolin, but later researches have disproved this, and have furthermore thrown doubt upon the probability of its relationship with any of the members of this group of mammals at all.

There are two species of this animal--the CAPE AARD-VARK of South and South-east Africa, and the ETHIOPIAN AARD-VARK of North-east Africa.

Where the nest-building ants are most common, there will the aard-vark--or Innagus, as the Boers sometimes call it--be most plentiful. The nests of these ants are huge structures of from 3 to 7 feet high, and often occupy vast areas of ground, extending as far as the eye can reach. They are substantially built, and swarm with occupants, and consequently are quite worth raiding. But the aard-vark has become much less common since a price has been set upon its skin. The powers of digging of these animals are so great that they can completely bury their large bodies in a few minutes, even when the ground has been baked by the sun into something like adamantine hardness. In excavating their burrows, the ground is thrown out by the fore feet, in huge lumps, through or rather between the hind legs. Shy and suspicious, the least unusual sound will send them scuttling to earth, for their sense of hearing is very keen. They seem to change their minds somewhat frequently, when engaged in digging out a new burrow; for half-excavated burrows in the side of ant-hills are very commonly met with. A fully grown aard-vark is about 6 feet long--generally rather more. Although this animal is frequently kept in captivity, it is but rarely seen by visitors, owing to its nocturnal habits, of which we have already spoken.

The teeth of the aard-vark are sufficiently remarkable to justify notice here. Only the crushing teeth are represented--that is to say, the front or cutting teeth are conspicuous by their absence. These crushing teeth number from eight to ten in the upper and eight in the lower jaw, on each side; but in the adult fewer would be found, the number being reduced to five in each side of the jaws--that is to say, there are but twenty all told. In structure these teeth are quite remarkable, differing entirely from those of all other mammals, and resembling those of some fishes; furthermore, they have no "roots," but instead grow continually throughout life, which "rooted" teeth do not.

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