Promoted
Southern Tamandua closeup
We were able to approach this Anteater quite closely as it doesn't seem to see and hear very good when its busy sniffing the earth in search of food. Don't be fooled by its cuteness though, they have nasty long claws that can cut you wide open.
The southern tamandua, also called a collared anteater, or lesser anteater, is a species of anteater from South America. It is a solitary animal, found in many habitats from mature to highly disturbed secondary forests and arid savannas. It feeds on ants, termites and bees. It has very strong foreclaws that can be used to break insect nests or to defend itself.
Similar species: Anteaters And Sloths
By Ferdy Christant
All rights reserved
Uploaded Oct 27, 2011. Captured Oct 27, 2011 20:31.
comments (4)
I'll continue to share a few per day, soon I'll get to the Amazon pics. Posted 11 years ago
And in the mean time I keep enjoying your photos! Posted 11 years ago
Mouths are up for discussion today! Click the photos to learn why these creatures have magnificent mouths! #JungleDragon
Anteaters don’t have teeth. And, their mouth opening is only about the width of a pencil eraser. But, these features work together perfectly for the anteater. How? They have a secret weapon: a weird tongue. A tongue that looks more like a worm or noodle than an actual tongue. Depending on the species, anteater tongues can reach lengths of 60 cm long (~24 in)! Plus, their ‘noodle tongues’ are covered with thousands of tiny hooks and extra sticky salvia. They have the ideal tongue for feasting on their favorite foods: ants and termites.
An Anteater can eat 30,000 ants or termites per day! First, they use their claws to break into ant or termite mounds, and then they stick their elongated snouts into the openings. This is where it gets good: they stick their slimy, barbed tongues into the tunnels and flick them 150 times per minute. The insects stick to the anteater’s tongue, making a tasty meal for this voracious creature {Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) spotted in Brazil by Ferdy Christant} #Anteater #Tamanduatetradactyla #SouthernTamandua
https://www.facebook.com/jungledragonwildlife
Posted one year ago