PREVIEW

Wildlife camera traps have recorded footage of a giant anteater in Brazil for the first time in more than 100 years.

The lose-nosed mammal was spotted wandering through scrubland in Espinilho State Park in Rio Grande do Sul, southwest Brazil.

It's the first time since the 1890s the animal has been seen in the Rio Grande do Sul state.

Experts think the anteater came from Iberá, where a major rewilding project has been underway since 2007.

The anteater was spotted by Brazilian biologist Fábio Mazim as he was reviewing hundreds of hours of footage for an Instituto Pró-carnívoros wildlife survey.

Mazim and his colleagues confirmed the discovery with several videos recorded over a six-month period.

"The animal seems to be in very good condition and established in the area,” says Mazim.

“At the moment it is impossible for us to determine if it is male or female, one or even several different individuals.”

The next step for researchers is to gather more data on the dispersal of the giant anteater in the region.

According to WWF Brazil, the species was once present in all 27 Brazilian states.

It is now at threat of extinction in all regions of the country and has been lost from some states entirely.

The main cause of the population decline is the degradation and loss of habitats.

Hunting, road accidents and forest fires also play a part.