“He Is A Teenager!” Watch Keepers Try And Fail To Wake Sleepy 22-Year-Old Anteater
Just five more minutes, mom!
tane-mahuta/Getty Images
Age is just a number for Eury the giant anteater.
Despite his impressive 22 years, the funny-looking creature is still prone to bouts of teenage rebellion, as evidenced by a viral video showing him behaving like a grumpy adolescent when keepers at North Carolina's Greensboro Science Center try to wake him up.
In a clip that has brought in more than 18 million views, the TikTok-famous giant anteater can be seen putting on a dramatic performance that anyone who has raised a teen should recognize.
“Good morning,” a zookeeper coos as she approaches him snuggled beneath his bushy tail.
She even gently rubs one of his small ears in an attempt to coax him to wake, but somehow, Eury remains indifferent.
“You wanna wake up?” the keeper asks while offering him a bowl of mashed avocado. After a few flicks of his two-foot tongue, he decides he’s had enough and curls back up with a paw over his ear.
“He is a teenager!” the keeper cries following another failed attempt to get get him up so they can clean his enclosure. “You’re 22 now. You’re past this phase. You’re not a teenager anymore.”
By the end of the video, he’s still not out of bed and staff has resorted to loudly clapping.
Childlike behavior aside, Eury is anything but young. While they can live up to 26 in human care, giant anteaters typically only live 14 years in the wild.
At 22, Eury is an old man. In fact, he even receives acupuncture for his arthritis!
For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on Southern Living.
