The Anteater's Non-Paw Crawl

While it might not look like it from a distance, an anteater actually does not walk on it's paws.

Picture from Houston Zoo

Instead, with the claws curled up into the paws, it walks on its "fists." This helps to keep the claws sharp so the anteater can dig into ant mounds or defend itself from predators.  It is important for an anteater's claws to be as sharp as possible as it often has to fight off jaguars and pumas.