Association of Diet Composition With Physical, Haematological and Biochemical Analysis of Giant Anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in Brazil.

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is an insectivorous species whose maintenance under human care is impaired due to the difficulty of reproducing their natural diet, associated with the challenge in developing an adequate and replicable diet. A wide variety of nutrition-related diseases are reported, but with few confirmed causal relationships. Moreover, little is known about the clinical parameters of the species and its relationship with diet. The aim of this study is to describe the haematology and blood chemistry of wild and captive giant anteaters in Brazil, correlating them with their physical condition and composition of the diet presented to the animals. We assessed 21 free-range and 22 captive giant anteaters, and compared results of bodyweight, biometry, haematology and serum biochemistry. Diets offered in captivity, and the stomach contents of nine wild road-killed anteaters were analyzed for chemical composition of macronutrients and minerals. When comparing data between free-range and captive animals, we found important differences in size and in haematological and biochemical analyses. Free-living anteaters were ~25% smaller compared with captives, both in BW (32.4 ± 4.7 kg and 42.6 ± 8.0 kg; p < 0.001) and measurements (thorax, abdomen and forearm circumferences). In addition, the composition of the stomach contents of wild animals differed significantly from the diet offered to captive animals, containing significantly less fat, energy and nutritional minerals in free-living animals. Diet seems to reflect directly on the physical parameters and laboratory results of giant anteaters.