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Feeding on Ants. 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 ...
After finding a nest, the animal tears it open with its claws and inserts its long, sticky tongue to collect its prey (which includes eggs, larvae and adult insects). An anteater attacks up to 200 nests in one day, for as long as a minute each, and consumes a total of around 35,000 insects.
Food/Eating Habits. 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.
Sep 14, 2023 · Unfazed by the stinging bites of ants and the defensive chemicals released by termites, anteaters skillfully use their long, sticky tongues to extract insects from their nests. With impressive speed and precision, they can consume thousands of insects in a single day.
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Let’s take a look at some of their most distinctive features: Their snouts are long and narrow, like a tube. They use them to poke into the nests of ants and termites and reach their tasty snacks.
The body temperature of this anteater is one of the lowest among mammals - 91 degrees Fahrenheit (32.7 degrees Celsius). This is due to their low-calorie insect diet. The Giant anteater may travel an average of 3,700 m (12,100 ft) per day. The Giant anteater is capable of eating a huge amount of ants: up to 30,000-35,000 ants per day.
Anteaters are specialized to feed on small insects, with each anteater species having its own insect preferences: small species are specialized on arboreal insects living on small branches, while large species can penetrate the hard covering of the nests of terrestrial insects.
