Anteaters are unique mammals recognized for their highly specialized diets. Their feeding habits extend beyond these social insects. This focused diet supports their existence in various habitats across Central and South America.
Unexpected Food Sources
They opportunistically feed on other small invertebrates, including insect larvae such as beetle grubs and wasp larvae. These provide additional protein and nutrients that supplement their primary insect intake.
Occasionally, their diet can include soft fruits, which they might lick if encountered in their foraging paths. Bird eggs are another food item anteaters may consume if they come across nests.
Giant anteaters have also been observed consuming small lizards and carrion on rare occasions. For instance, some studies indicate that even grass seeds can be found in the stomach contents of giant anteaters.
Dietary Variations Across Species
The diet of anteaters varies considerably among the four extant species: the Giant Anteater, Southern Tamandua, Northern Tamandua, and Silky Anteater. These differences are often influenced by their size, habitat, and foraging strategies. The largest species, the Giant Anteater, primarily forages on the ground, focusing on large ant and termite mounds.
In contrast, the Southern and Northern Tamanduas are smaller and semi-arboreal, meaning they forage both on the ground and in trees. Their diet reflects this versatility, including arboreal ants and termites, as well as other tree-dwelling insects. Tamanduas are known to be selective, often avoiding ants with painful stings or strong chemical defenses.
The smallest species, the Silky Anteater, is almost entirely arboreal, living predominantly in tree canopies. Its diet is highly specialized, consisting mainly of arboreal ants and, to a lesser extent, termites and small beetles. Silky anteaters may also consume wasp pupae, attacking nests at night when the wasps are less active.
Specialized Feeding Mechanisms
Anteaters possess remarkable anatomical adaptations that enable them to efficiently consume their specialized and varied diet. They lack teeth, a characteristic known as edentate, instead relying on their unique tongue and stomach for processing food. Their long, sticky tongues, which can extend up to 60 centimeters in a Giant Anteater, are coated with thousands of tiny hooks called filiform papillae and large amounts of saliva.
This tongue can flick in and out rapidly, up to 150 times per minute, allowing them to collect thousands of insects quickly from a disturbed nest. Their powerful front claws, with their long, sharp curves, are used to tear open tough insect nests and rotting wood. These claws are also used for defense.
Once ingested, the insects are not chewed but instead are crushed against the roof of the anteater’s mouth. Further digestion occurs in a muscular stomach that functions similarly to a bird’s gizzard, with hardened folds that pulverize the food. The formic acid from their prey also aids in their digestive process.
Anteater Diet in Managed Care
In managed care settings, zoos and wildlife sanctuaries formulate specialized diets to meet the nutritional needs of anteaters, as providing their exact natural diet of wild ants and termites is impractical. These diets often consist of a commercial insectivore chow, which is a nutritionally complete formulation. This chow is typically ground and mixed with water to create a slurry or “porridge” that anteaters can easily consume with their long tongues.
These prepared diets are supplemented with various ingredients to ensure comprehensive nutrition and provide enrichment. Common additions include fruits like bananas, avocados, or other soft fruits, which can also be offered for behavioral enrichment. Hard-boiled eggs, ground beef, and even certain vegetables are sometimes incorporated to diversify their diet and provide essential proteins and vitamins.
While these captive diets aim to replicate the nutritional profile of their natural prey, there are ongoing efforts to refine them. Researchers study the composition of wild anteater stomach contents to better inform captive feeding recommendations. The goal is to prevent nutritional deficiencies and promote optimal health, recognizing the challenges in mimicking a diet based on thousands of specific insect species.