Nashville Zoo officials have announced the birth of two giant anteaters — a male named Mochilo and a female named Dulce.
On April 25, Tiana gave birth to Mochilo, while Consuela gave birth to Dulce on May 26. Both babies are doing well and living with their mothers at the zoo’s off-exhibit anteater breeding facility, zoo officials said.
Nashville Zoo has been involved in giant anteater conservation for 13 years and has the largest collection of anteaters in the country. The off-exhibit breeding facility is the only one of its kind in the United States.
Giant anteaters are solitary animals from the tropical forests of Central and South America. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the giant anteater as vulnerable, although it is considered extinct in areas of Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Uruguay.
Zoo guests can see two of the adult giant anteaters on exhibit this summer via a Behind the Scenes or Back Stage Pass Tour.