Chesley, The Detroit Zoo’s Anteater Has Died. She was 26.

Chesley, who was the oldest-living giant anteater living in a zoo setting, and accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, passed away on Monday at the age of 26. She came to live at the Detroit Zoo when she was one year old in 1997.

"Chesley or ‘Mama-Ches’ (as she was affectionately known) was a great companion to several other anteaters including her daughter, Raya, and Bissell, her great-granddaughter. She often enjoyed taking naps in the sunshine and tearing apart one of her favorite treats, an avocado, with her front claws," Besie Meister, the associate curator of mammals, said. Betsie cared for Chesley during her time at the zoo. - wxyz,com

According to Wikipedia, anteaters started out in South America. In fact, "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 commonly applied to the unrelated aardvark, numbat, echidnas, pangolins, and some members of the Oecobiidae."

Extant species are the giant anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla, about 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) long including the tail; the silky anteater Cyclopes didactylus, about 35 cm (14 in) long; the southern tamandua or collared anteater Tamandua tetradactyla, about 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) long; and the northern tamandua Tamandua mexicana of similar dimensions. - Wikipedia

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According to the Detroit Zoo, Chesey'd daughter Raya, and great-granddaughter Bissell, will stay at the Detroit Zoo.