Ant eating animals are toothless mammals that feed on thousands of ants, termites, and insect larva on a daily basis. They have horrible eyesight, but a great sense of smell and hearing. Ant eating animals, except for the Giant Anteater, are nocturnal creatures that burrow in holes during the day and forage along the ground and within the trees during the night. Ant eating animals use their front claws to pry open hidden insect colonies and use their long sticky tongue to lap up the insects and the larva. The insect mounds are rarely destroyed instead the ant eating animal only feeds until the insects defensive stings become too intense to tolerate.
1) Aardvark
Located in Africa an Aardvark has a round almost hairless body with short legs. They grow to an average length of 2 feet long from the tip of their nose to the tip of their tail with a foot long tongue. The most noticeable feature on an Aardvark is the long extended pig-like snout.
2) Giant Anteater
Located in South America a Giant Anteater has a large body, long thick powerful front legs, a long bushy tail, and an elongated pointed snout. They grow to an average length of 7 feet long from the tip of their nose to the tip of their tail, with a 2 feet long tongue. The most noticeable feature on a Giant Anteater is the long bushy tail and the elongated pointed snout.
3) Pangolin
Located in Africa and Asia a Pangolin has a lizard-like body completely covered in scales. They grow to an average length between 2 - 6 feet long from the tip of their nose to the tip of their tail, with a foot long tongue. The most noticeable feature is the ability for a Pangolin to curl up into an impenetrable ball if threatened and roll away while spraying an extremely foul odor.
4) Silky Anteater
Located in South America a Silky Anteater has an extremely small body completely covered in silk fur. They weigh less than a pound and grow to a length of less than a foot long from the tip of their nose to the tip of their tail. The most noticeable features of a Silky Anteater is that it is the smallest of all the types of ant eating animals, and its ability to blend within silk-cotton trees.
5) Tamandua (Collard Anteater)
Located in South America a Tamandua, or Collard Anteater, has a medium size body completely covered with fur. They grow to an average length between 3 - 5 feet long from the tip of their nose to the tip of their tail, with a 2 feet long tongue. The most noticeable feature of the Tamandua is the extended pointed snout, and their ability to spray an extremely foul odor.
Main Threat to Ant Eating Animals
The main threat to the continued future existence of ant eating animals, especially the Silky Anteater and Pangolin, includes loss of natural habitat due to human expansion, and hunting of the animal for human clothing.
Copyright © 2016 John Mallozzi
