THIS order is usually known as the Edentata, which means animals which
are toothless; and yet this does not infer that all the animals included
in this group are completely devoid of teeth, although this really is
the case with several species—but in the majority of these animals only
the incisors are missing, so that there is an empty space in the front
of their jaws.
All the animals of this group have their limbs terminated by very strong
claws, which are used for climbing or scratching. Some of these animals
instead of being clothed with hair, are covered with scales—a
peculiarity which adds to the strangeness of their appearance; they are
all rather clumsy in form, slow in their motions and possessed of very
little intelligence.
Their habits and manner of feeding differ much in the various
families—some living on vegetables, others on animal substances; some
burrowing in holes, others living on trees. All are natives of the warm
regions, both of the Old and New World; and the larger number of them
are found in South America. They never attain great size, the largest
species measuring about three feet in length, not including the tail.
The Edentata, or Toothless Quadrupeds, include five families—the Sloths,
Armadillos, Ant-eaters, Aard-vark and Pangolins.