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How to fold an origami giant anteater

Fold a kite body with a very narrow head end, slit short legs and swing them down, crimp the long head down into a sniffing snout and the wide tail end down into a brush.

You need: 1 grey-brown square (15 cm), scissors and a black pen. Hard, 15 steps, about 30 minutes.

Steps

  1. Crease the middle. White side up, turned like a diamond, fold the top corner down to the bottom corner, crease and unfold.
  2. Kite. Fold the edges at the left point in on creases from the point to 4.1 cm above and below the middle crease. That end is the anteater's long snout.
  3. Narrow the other end. Fold the edges at the right point in on creases from the point to 7.5 cm above and below the middle crease. That end is the bushy tail.
  4. Tummy corners. Fold the top and bottom corners in on creases 4.8 cm above and below the middle crease. They will be hidden inside.
  5. Fold in half. Fold the top half down onto the bottom half along the middle crease. The long fold on top is the back, the flat bottom is the tummy.
  6. Crease a strip. Fold the bottom edge up 1.5 cm, all layers together, and crease it hard. This strip gives the legs.
  7. Open it. Unfold the strip again.
  8. Slit the legs. Cut along the strip crease from the front end in 2 cm, and from the back end in 2.8 cm.
  9. Front legs. Swing the front strip down on slanted creases from its inner end, the front layers one way and the back ones behind, a little apart.
  10. Back legs. Swing the back strip down the same way, the front layers forward and the back ones behind.
  11. Back feet. Fold the pointed tip of each back leg back on a crease straight across it, front layer forward and back one behind, so the feet are blunt.
  12. Snout: crease. Fold the left end over on an upright crease 7.5 cm from its tip, all layers but the legs.
  13. Snout: crimp down. Fold it back on a crease slanting from the same top point, so the long snout points down to sniff for ants.
  14. Tail: crease. Fold the right end over on an upright crease 5.7 cm from its tip, all layers but the legs.
  15. Tail: crimp down. Fold it back on a crease slanting from the same top point, so the big tail hangs down behind like a brush.

Sniff, sniff!

Draw a small eye on the head and a black band with a white edge slanting back from the chest over the shoulder.

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