Résumé
The evolutionary history of South American anteaters (Xenarthra, Vermilingua) remains poorly understood due to a sparse fossil record. We present a detailed morphological analysis of a recently discovered Middle Miocene anteater skull from La Venta, the first cranial specimen of its kind from tropical South America. We compare the morphology of its internal cranial canals, nasal bone, and snout shape with that of extant genera (
Myrmecophaga
,
Tamandua
, and
Cyclopes
) in search of new phylogenetically-informative characters. Our study reveals a previously unrecognised diversity of the internal canal morphologies within the anteater snout and identifies unique morphologies that discriminate between the two anteater families (Myrmecophagidae and Cyclopedidae). The inclusion of these novel characters in phylogenetic analyses, alongside pre-existing data, supports the placement of the La Venta specimen within Myrmecophagidae, with a closer relationship to
Myrmecophaga
than
Tamandua
. The La Venta specimen’s temporal proximity to the estimated
Myrmecophaga
-
Tamandua
divergence, along with uncertainty regarding the number of anteater species at this locality, necessitates cautious interpretation of these results. This further reflects the challenges of reconstructing anteater phylogeny with limited morphological evidence. While additional articulated cranial and postcranial remains are essential to clarify these issues, our study highlights the value of overlooked anatomical regions, such as the internal cranial canals, in refining our understanding of the evolutionary history of extinct anteaters.