Search results
People also ask
What animals eat giant anteaters?
Are anteaters aggressive?
Are giant anteaters carnivorous?
Do anteaters eat ants?
Predators. Diseases and parasites. Conservation. References. External links. Anteaters are the four extant mammal species in the suborder Vermilingua [1] (meaning "worm tongue"), commonly known for eating ants and termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages.
The anteater may be driven away from a nest by the chemical or biting attacks of soldiers. Termites may rely on their fortified mounds for protection or use underground or wide spreading tunnels to escape. Other prey include the larvae of beetles and western honey bees. Anteaters may target termite mounds with bee hives.
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 ...
- Anteater Tongues Are Covered in Spines. Anteaters use their tongues as their primary tool for gathering food. These organs can be up to two feet in length and come covered in small, spiny protrusions and sticky saliva.
- They Have Knifelike Claws. Though they have four feet, only the forefront toes have claws on them. Interestingly, when walking, anteaters curl their feet into fistlike balls to keep the claws protected and prevent dulling.
- Anteaters Don't Just Eat Ants. The average giant anteater eats up to 30,000 ants and termites in a day. They use quick flicking motions to scoop and suck up their food, up to several hundred flicks per minute.
- Anteaters Have No Teeth. In scientific terms, an animal with no teeth at all is known as an edentate. Sloths and armadillos are edentates, as well. Their lack of teeth doesn't seem to pose any problems for anteaters, as their tongues and claws do all the work when it comes to foraging.
While jaguars and pumas are considered to be the primary predators of giant anteaters, other animals such as humans, wild dogs, and anacondas may also pose a threat. However, compared to the big cats, these secondary predators do not significantly impact the population of giant anteaters.
These animals are specialist carnivorous (myrmecophagous, insectivorous) predators, feeding mostly on termites and ants. However, they can also consume soft-bodied grubs, eggs as well as fruit. Diet Carnivore, Insectivores, Myrmecophagous
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.
