Anteaters are unique mammals recognized by their elongated snouts and bushy tails. They inhabit tropical savannas and forests across Central and South America.
The Primary Diet: More Than Just Ants
Anteaters consume ants, but their diet extends to include termites, which often form a substantial part of their intake. While ants may be the majority for giant anteaters in certain regions, termites can be a more important food source where they are more numerous. For instance, giant anteaters in Brazil might consume nine different ant species, but switch to termites during specific months. These animals are specialized insectivores, relying on social insects for their nutrition.
Anteaters consume a remarkable quantity of insects daily, with giant anteaters eating up to 35,000 ants and termites per day. They do not indiscriminately devour entire colonies; instead, they forage efficiently, consuming only about 140 insects from each mound before moving on. This selective feeding allows colonies to recover, ensuring a sustainable food source. Anteaters avoid soldier ants or those with strong chemical defenses.
Specialized Tools for a Specialized Diet
Anteaters possess physical adaptations for their insectivorous diet. Their powerful forelimbs and long, sharp claws break into tough ant and termite mounds. These claws are maintained by the anteater walking on the outer sides of their feet, preventing them from dulling. Once a nest is opened, their exceptionally long, thin tongue comes into play.
The tongue of a giant anteater can extend up to two feet (60 centimeters) and is covered with tiny, backward-pointing spines. This tongue is coated in thick, sticky saliva, which effectively traps insects. Anteaters can flick their tongue rapidly, up to 150 times per minute, efficiently collecting prey. Despite elongated snouts, anteaters have no teeth; they swallow prey whole. Digestion is aided by a muscular stomach, similar to a bird’s gizzard, which grinds insects, sometimes assisted by small amounts of ingested sand and dirt.
Diversity in Diet Across Anteater Species
While all anteater species primarily consume ants and termites, subtle differences exist in their dietary preferences. The four extant species include the Giant Anteater, Southern Tamandua, Northern Tamandua, and Silky Anteater. Giant anteaters are largely terrestrial, with their diet often shifting between ants and termites based on seasonal availability. They target larger-bodied social insects.
Tamanduas, which are semi-arboreal, primarily eat ants and termites, consuming up to 9,000 insects per day. They may supplement their diet with other invertebrates like bees, beetles, insect larvae, honey, bee larvae from hives, and fallen fruits. The Silky Anteater, the smallest species, is nocturnal and almost exclusively arboreal. Its diet is mainly ants, from 100 to 8,000 daily, and sometimes includes small beetles or wasp pupae. These dietary nuances allow different anteater species to coexist without direct competition.