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Learn about the amazing adaptations of anteaters and how they use their tongues to catch insects in this fascinating article.
- Anteaters Are of the Same Order, Xenarthra, as Armadillos. "This order also includes sloths and armadillos," says Melissa Ciccariello, zookeeper in charge of anteaters for Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island, via an email interview.
- They Don't Have the Longest Tongue of Any Animal. While the giant anteater's tongue is about 20 to 24 inches (51 to 61 centimeters) long, the blue whale has the largest tongue of any animal alive today, according to Schwartz.
- Anteaters Slip Their "Spaghetti-like" Tongue Into Ant Hills and Termite Mounds to Eat. "They use their claws to break open ant and termite mounds," says Ciccariello.
- An Anteater Will Eat up to 30,000 Ants or Termites a Day. "While anteaters will eat primarily ants and termites, it's not uncommon for them to enjoy fallen fruit," says Schwartz.
People also ask
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- Physical characteristics
- Appearance
- Behavior
- Description
- Distribution and habitat
- Diet
- Reproduction
Giant anteaters have a long, distinctive snout with a 2-foot-long tongue and no teeth. They may have diminished senses of hearing and sight, but they have a highly developed sense of smell.
These anteaters are distinctively patterned in various shades of brown with wide, black stripes that run from their upper front legs toward their spine. Their front legs are white, and they have a bushy tail. They have no undercoats to provide warmth; instead they have bristly, short hair on their shoulders and longer hair on their legs and tail, w...
Giant anteaters protect their sharp front claws by tucking them into their palms and walking on their front knuckles. Their back feet and claws are more similar to bears (they only knuckle walk with their front feet). They walk in a slow, shuffling gait but when necessary can gallop at over 30 miles per hour (48 kilometers per hour). They can also ...
The largest of the four anteater species, giant anteaters reach 6-8 feet (1.8-2.4 meters) in length, including both nose and tail. They weigh between 60 and 100 pounds (27 and 45 kilograms). However, it is nearly impossible to differentiate the adult male from the female using external anatomy alone.
Giant anteaters are found throughout Central and South America except for Guatemala, Uruguay and El Salvador, where they are considered to be extinct. They live in wetlands, grasslands and tropical forests.
Research has found that giant anteaters can identify the particular species of ant or termite by smell before they rip apart the prey's nest. When feeding, sticky saliva coats the tongue. The 2-foot-long tongue is attached to the sternum and can flick in and out up to 150 times per minute. Anteaters feed almost exclusively on ants and termites, who...
Giant anteaters reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years of age. Gestation lasts about 180 days (six months). They give birth to a single young and suckle the offspring from a pair of mammary glands located on the chest.
The anteater's narrow tongue is about 2 feet (60 centimeters) long and is shaped like a strand of spaghetti. This amazing tongue has teeny, backward-pointing spines covered in sticky saliva that aid in feeding. Relying on its acute sense of smell, the giant anteater detects an ant mound and swiftly rips into it with its sharp, formidable claws.
- Their tails are weird. You may have noticed a common theme among tree-dwelling animals with prehensile tails: they often have a bald spot. That’s because hair gets in the way of many things you need when gripping branches.
- Their claws are formidable. As anteaters, they sport the classic talons used for ripping into the hardened mud structures their tiny meals build out of the earth.
- They have incredible tongues. Even longer than these claws are the specialised, elongated and sticky tongues, which can reach 40cm (16 inches) long, and are used to pull ants and termites up into their tubular mouths.
- They’re obligate insectivores. This not only means they feel like they *should* eat insects, but it’s also a biological necessity for them. When an animal is referred to as an ‘obligate’ feeder of something specific, it means that it can only get important essential nutrients from that source.
The giant anteater uses its sharp claws to tear an opening into an anthill and put its long snout, sticky saliva, and efficient tongue to work. But it has to eat quickly, flicking its tongue up to ...
Compared to other mammals with similar body size, this anteater possesses the longest tongue, protruding out of its mouth for more than 60 cms (2 ft). The tail of the Giant anteater greatly helps the animal.
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