There’s no doubt about it: anteaters are strange-looking animals. But did you know that many of their oddest features actually help them survive in their natural habitats? In this article, we’ll take a closer look at these features as we answer the question, “what adaptations do anteaters have to survive?” Keep reading.
What You'll Learn Today
What Physical Adaptations Do Anteaters Have to Help Them Survive?
In the wild, anteaters are found only in tropical regions of Central and South America. They have adapted over time to a highly specific set of circumstances.
Let’s take a closer look at these adaptations.
Tongue
Anteaters have long, worm-like tongues that are specially adapted to help them eat up to 30,000 ants and termites a day. Depending on the species, some anteaters have tongues up to two feet long.
Their tongues are covered in sharp barbs and sticky saliva that help them trap large numbers of insects at a time.
The tongue can flick in and out of the mouth about 150 times per minute, which allows them to consume great amounts of insects in very little time.
Snout
The anteater’s snout is long and narrow, making it perfect for sticking down anthills or burrows in termite mounds. This allows the anteater to reach its primary food source easily.
The anteater’s nose is located on the end of this long snout, which helps it sniff out its next meal. Anteaters have an excellent sense of smell.
Anteaters are good swimmers, and the placement of the nose at the tip of the snout helps the anteater keep it easily above water while swimming.
Digestive System
Anteaters have no teeth, which means they must swallow their food whole. In turn, this requires a powerful digestive system.
Anteaters have strong stomach acids that break down their food, dissolving ants, termites, and other food sources easily and efficiently.
They also have strong stomach muscles which help to crush and break down their food, making it easier to digest. Between these stomach muscles and the acids, anteaters are able to consume large amounts of food by swallowing it whole.
Tail
Three of the four anteater species have strong, partially hairless tails, while the fourth has a tail covered in shaggy fur. These adaptations help them thrive in their particular environments.
The northern and southern tamanduas and silky anteaters all live primarily in trees. Their strong tails help them move through the trees easily, and the hairless section allows them a better grip on the branches.
Meanwhile, the giant anteater, which lives on the ground, often uses its shaggy tail to cover its head and body during cooler weather. The anteater can also use this tail as an extra limb, rearing up on its back legs and tail in a tripod pose when it feels threatened.
Claws
Anteaters have varying numbers of claws depending on their species. Giant anteaters have three claws, while tamanduas have four and silky anteaters have two.
Regardless of the species, the large, sharp claws are located on the front feet only. The claws help the anteaters rip into hard termite mounds, making it easier to reach the tasty food inside.
The claws can also be used for climbing trees and self defense.
Check out this video to learn more about the various adaptations of anteaters:
How Does the Anteater’s Knuckle-Walking Adaptation Help Them?
When anteaters travel across the ground, they have a strange habit: they walk on their knuckles, with their front claws tucked carefully against their foot pads. Why do they do this?
If the anteater kept its claws extended, they would wear down and become blunt from repeated contact with rocks and other hard surfaces. The anteater’s knuckle-walking habit helps to protect its claws, ensuring they stay sharp and ready for action.
As noted above, anteaters use their claws in their search for food. Being able to tear open termite mounds is crucial for anteaters to reach the essential food supply inside.
Claws are also helpful for climbing trees, as they allow the anteater to get a solid grip as they move from branch to branch. Dulled claws would not provide as good of a grip.
Lastly, sharp claws are essential in an anteater’s self-defense strategy. But more on that in a few minutes.
How Does an Anteater Use its Long Snout to Find Food?
As stated earlier, an anteater’s long snout is useful in many ways. Like the claws and tongue, the snout plays a crucial role in finding food.
For one thing, an anteater’s nose is located at the tip of its snout. Anteaters don’t see well, so they must rely on their keen sense of smell to locate potential food sources.
Once they’ve found that food, they still need to be able to reach it. Many ants and termites live deep inside the nests they create; having a long snout, in addition to a long tongue and sharp claws, helps anteaters get at their food more easily.
The snout is located well in front of the anteater’s eyes and ears, protecting these more sensitive areas from the bites and stings sustained while hunting for ants and other insects.
How Do Anteaters Defend Themselves?
Anteaters are generally docile creatures who spend most of their time sleeping to conserve energy. They prefer to run away rather than fight.
However, there are times when they find themselves backed into a corner, unable to flee and forced to fight back against predators such as jaguars and pumas.
In these circumstances, their only weapon of self-defense lies in their sharp front claws.
Anteaters who are forced to fight will rear up on their back legs and tail, slashing their claws through the air in an effort to frighten their attacker. If that doesn’t work, they use their claws like knives to lacerate their opponent.
Since knuckle-walking keeps their claws in pristine condition, anteaters can do some serious damage with their claws, causing deep cuts that can bleed profusely. This method of self-defense gives them a fighting chance against the much bigger and more deadly predators that prey on them.
Conclusion
Anteaters are well adapted to their tropical environments. Their tongues, noses, claws, tails, and digestive systems all work together to help them find and consume food and protect themselves from enemies.
