Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

1913. They pioneered routes into the

interior of the continent, and the

research they conducted provided a base

for present-day scientific programs. On

December 14, 1911, Roald Amundsen

of Norway became the first person to

reach the South Pole. Many other expeditions

followed.

Every year hundreds of researchers travel

to Antarctica to conduct experiments.

Widespread scientific investigation of

Antarctica began during the International

Geophysical Year in 1957–58. In

1959, 12 countries signed the Antarctic

Treaty to reserve the continent for

peaceful, scientific purposes. By 2000,

44 countries had signed the treaty.

#More to explore

Amundsen, Roald • Continent • Glacier

• Iceberg • Penguin • Polar Exploration

Facts About

ANTARCTICA

Area

5,400,000 sq mi (14,200,000 sq km)

Population

No permanent population

Coldest Recorded Temperature

July 21, 1983, Vostock Station: .129° F

(.89° C)

Hottest Recorded Temperature

January 5, 1974, Lake Vanda: 59° F (15° C)

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Antarctica 137

 

Anteater

Anteaters are curious-looking animals.

Their long heads and snouts look like

tubes, and they have no teeth at all. Anteaters

use their strong front legs and

heavy claws to break open nests of ants

and termites. When the insects rush out,

the anteaters eat them with their long,

sticky tongues.

Anteaters live in the swamps and forests

of Central and South America. They are

related to sloths and armadillos, which

also live in Latin America.

True Anteaters

There are four species, or types, of anteater.

They make up a scientific group

called Vermilingua, which means

“worm-tongue.”

The largest species is the giant anteater.

From the tip of its snout to the end of

its tail, the giant anteater is about 6 feet

(1.8 meters) long. Its coat is mostly gray,

and its long tail is bushy. It feeds on the

ground by day and by night.

There are two different species of lesser

anteater, or tamandua, but they look

very similar. Lesser anteaters are only

about half the length of giant anteaters.

They also have shorter muzzles. Lesser

anteaters have tan, black, or tan-andblack

coats. They live in trees and feed at

night. They use their long, nearly hairless

tails to climb on tree branches.

The silky, or two-toed, anteater is the

smallest of the group. It is the size of a

squirrel. It has a silky, yellowish coat and

a long, furry tail. Like lesser anteaters,

the silky anteater lives in trees and feeds

at night.

Other Animals Called

Anteaters

People sometimes call other insecteating

animals anteaters, but these animals

are not related to true anteaters.

They include the numbat (or banded

anteater), the aardvark (or ant bear), the

echidna (or spiny anteater), and the

pangolin (or scaly anteater).

#More to explore

Armadillo • Sloth

Antelope

Antelopes are a group of plant-eating

mammals that belong to the same family

as sheep, goats, and cattle. The impala,

the addax, gazelles, gnus, and kudus are

all antelopes. The pronghorn, or prongbuck,

is also known as an antelope, but

it belongs to a different family.

Antelopes live on the large, grassy plains

of Africa and in the central and southwestern

regions of Eurasia (the continents

of Europe and Asia). Only the

pronghorn is found in North America.

The giant

anteater’s

tongue can be

as long as 24

inches (60

centimeters).

giant anteater

138 Anteater BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

Antelopes are generally about the same

size as most goats and deer. They have

hooves on their feet. Their coats are generally

golden, reddish tan, or gray. The

face, belly, and rump tend to be white.

Most male antelopes have horns that

curve backward.

Antelopes have excellent senses of smell

and hearing. These help them to detect

danger and leap to safety. The impala

can make leaps as long as 30 feet (9

meters). Antelopes can also run very

fast. One type of gazelle can run 50

miles (80 kilometers) per hour.

Antelopes generally travel in herds of

several hundred animals. During the

mating season, male antelopes mark

their territory by rubbing their scent

glands against plants and trees. A male

will fight other male antelopes to defend

his territory. The male then attracts a

female, or doe, and they mate. The doe

gives birth to one young about four to

eight months later, depending on the

type of antelope.

#More to explore

Hoof • Horn • Mammal

Anthem,

National

#see National Anthem.

Anthony,

Susan B.

In the 1900s women in the United

States fought to gain equal rights with

men. One of the leaders of that movement

was Susan B. Anthony.

There are many different kinds of antelope. They include the blackbuck, which is found in

India; the saiga from elsewhere in Asia; and the gerenuk, Thomson’s gazelle, common

eland, impala, and suni from Africa. In most of these animals only the males have horns.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Anthony, Susan B. 139

 

Susan Brownell Anthony was born on

February 15, 1820, in Adams,

Massachusetts. When she was 6 years

old her family moved to Battenville,

New York. As a young woman she

taught school.

In the 1850s Anthony became involved

in both the temperance movement,

which fought alcohol abuse, and the