Giant Anteater 🐜 (10 Facts You Never Knew)

The giant anteater's exclusive diet of eusocial arthropods, such as the namesake ants, not only influence their common name. Even the genus name for giant anteaters means ant-eating, although it's worth noting they don't exclusively feed on ants. They also eat worms, grubs, and even fruits from time to time. The giant anteater is separated from the other three living anteater species, also classified in its genus, by both its size, which is described in its common name, and its three-fingered feet, which are described by its scientific name. Anteaters are known for their long, sticky, mucus-covered tongue that helps them lap up more than 30,000 ants and termites per day. Their jaw is fused, and they can only open their mouth just enough to accommodate space for the tongue to slide in and out. What's more, giant anteaters don't open their mouth the same way other mammals do. Most mammals, humans included, contract a muscle to open their mouth. Giant anteaters don't have this muscle. Instead, they are believed to rotate a part of their jaw to widen their mouth. They wouldn't even be able to open wide if asked. More than 30,000 ants might sound like way too many to eat at a time. How could the ants survive if they're being ravaged by anteaters each day? Well, for one, giant anteaters don't destroy ant nests. They leave them intact so the remaining ants can rebuild. Finding a huge colony of ants isn't too difficult for a well-equipped giant anteater. Ants give off an odor that is easily detected by this mammal's giant nose. Just look at how long that nose is. That's plenty of room for good sniffs. In fact, a giant anteater's sense of smell is believed to be 40 times stronger than a human's. Since they use their tongue for eating, and they swallow their food whole, giant anteaters don't have to worry about chewing. In fact, these mammals don't even have teeth. They're edentates, just like sloths and armadillos. They're closest relatives. Although they don't have teeth for chewing, the inside of a giant anteater's mouth and stomach are lined with a hard, bumpy surface that helps grind up whatever they eat. They'll even crush ants against the roof of their mouth while they slurp them up. One giant anteater became famous online when a photo surfaced of the artist Salvador Dali walking it around on a leash. Dali supposedly had a fondness for anteaters, as he also showed up to a television interview with one. Although in that particular instance, it was a tamandua. A giant anteater also made headlines right around the time of this video's release. Giant anteaters are listed as vulnerable to extinction as of this recording, and in some parts of their range, they have gone extinct. A giant anteater was recently captured on camera in a place they haven't been seen in over 100 years. You've also probably heard that sometimes people think giant anteaters have two heads. But if you weren't aware, you can learn all about them and more in our full anteater episode. There's a card on screen you can click right now. Go ahead, click it. There's lots to learn. And thanks for watching Animal Fact Piles.