GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — This week, keepers posted a fun video of a morning routine some of us might find relatable as they struggled to get their 22-year-old giant anteater up for the day.
Now, he’s an internet sensation.
He’s racked up millions of views on TikTok! FOX8 visited Greensboro Science Center on Thursday to see if this anteater’s case of the Mondays lasts all week.
Turns out: absolutely.
Eury isn’t going anywhere!
His TikTok fame has not gone to his head. Or maybe it has. It’s hard to tell, considering he’s determined to keep on napping.
Eury is 22, which is quite old for a giant anteater, so he’s got to take his medicine in the morning. That doesn’t mean he wants to, though the promise of mashed avocado might stir him for a moment.
Giant anteaters are a vulnerable species in their native Central and South America due to habitat loss, so the Greensboro Science Center loves being able to bring awareness to rare and endangered creatures like Eury through their social media channels, and the viewers love getting to know them, too.
Eury lives the high life, with massages and acupuncture and the ability to come and go in his habitat as he pleases, sleeping away most of the day. His keeper estimates he probably sleeps around 18 hours.
“He kind of looks like my teenagers in the morning when I try to wake them up!” Shannon Smith said as Eury continued his nap.
“He’s kind of grumpy like a teenager,” Keeper Kelly Rauch said. “He’s like ‘ah, I don’t think so.'”
Rauch explained that his big fan tail, which is part of his sensational appeal, is used for protection, like a blanket. Eury uses it to cover his face so they know he’s not getting up yet! We’ve all had those mornings, big guy.
Hopefully, we all have a morning soon where we can “do the Eury” and pull the covers back up and keep on sleeping.
You can keep up with Eury and the other wonderful animals at the Greensboro Science Center on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.