Anteater is a
common name for the four extant
mammal species of the suborder
Vermilingua (meaning "worm tongue") commonly known for eating
ants and
termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together with the
sloths, they are within the order
Pilosa. The name "anteater" is also colloquially applied to the unrelated
aardvark,
numbat,
echidnas,
pangolins and some members of the
Oecobiidae.