Zookeepers at London Zoo have recruited a teddy bear to take on the role of surrogate mum to its newest arrival: a tiny baby anteater. The one-month-old giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) was born on 28 December. Young anteaters get around by clinging to their mother’s back, so the newborn has been keeping a firm grip on zookeepers’ shoulders, before going to sleep cuddling her giant teddy bear. Nicknamed Beanie by her keepers, the young grey and black female already has impressive curved claws, which will grow up to 10cm long and are used to dig around in the ground to find tasty ants and termites.
