How to tell an aardvark from an anteater?
Key Differences
- Aardvark belongs to order Tibulidentata superorder afrotheria while anteater belongs to order Pilosa superorder xenarthra.
- Aardvark is a nocturnal mammal while anteater is a diurnal mammal.
- Aardvarks are commonly found in Africa savannah, scrub, open grasslands and woodlands while anteaters are found in Central and South America.
Do anteaters actually eat ants?
Unlike other butterflies and ladybugs, whose silly names that don’t have anything to do with what they are, the anteater is actually an animal who eats ants! Of course, ants aren’t the singular food of most anteaters generally anteaters eat other kinds of bugs too, such as termites.
Are armadillos and anteater the same thing?
Anteaters, Sloths and Armadillos are of the same family. A Bizarre group of animals make up the order of mammals known as the EDENTATES. They include the anteaters, armadillos and sloths, all of which, except the nine – banded armadillo, live in the tropical regions of South America and Central America. The name edentate means without teeth.
Are anteaters an endangered species?
Want to Visit? The wonderfully unique giant anteater is an endangered species that is disappearing from many regions of Brazil. But there are still wild areas where this strange species clings on to survival and can be seen easily.
Are ant eaters and aardvarks the same?
Anteaters live in the forests of Central and South America, while aardvarks live in the forests and grasslands of sub-Saharan Africa. Aardvarks dig tunnels and dens underground, and anteaters do not. Anteaters and aardvarks both have strong claws, but anteater claws are much longer.
Do aardvarks eat ant?
The nocturnal animals use their long noses and keen sense of smell to sniff out ants and termites, which they lap up with an anteater-like tongue covered in sticky saliva. These insects make up most of the aardvark's diet, although they'll occasionally eat beetle larvae.
Are aardvarks a type of anteater?
Aardvark or Anteater FAQ Aardvark is not another name for an anteater. Both animals share similar facial features and eating habits, but are otherwise different. Aardvarks live all around Africa while anteaters like in South and Central America.
What is an ant eater called?
Common Name: Giant anteaters. Scientific Name: Myrmecophaga tridactyla. Type: Mammals. Diet: Insectivore. Average Life Span In The Wild: 14 years.
Can humans eat an aardvark?
Aardvarks are hunted by humans. People hunt this animal for its meat and sometimes use its body parts as charms—the teeth are believed to prevent illnesses. Other animals, like lions, hyenas, and leopards are its natural predators in the wild.
Can an aardvark be a pet?
Aardvarks would not make a good pet. They are nocturnal, so they would keep you up all night. Their burrowing habit would also be quite difficult to sustain in a backyard. In most places, it is illegal to own an aardvark as a pet.
What is the closest animal to a anteater?
Anteaters are most closely related to armadillos and sloths in the superorder Xenarthra. This group of animals is unique to the Americas and are all known for their slow metabolic rates and lack of (or small number of) teeth.
Are armadillos a type of anteater?
This isn't true. Armadillos are only closely related to other xenarthrans — South American anteaters and sloths. This group is unique to North and South America, and is not closely related to any other group of mammals. The mammal that is most often confused with an armadillo is the pangolin (Order Pholidota).
Are aardvarks aggressive?
Their main form of defence is to escape very quickly underground however, they are also known to be quite aggressive when threatened by these larger animals. Aardvarks use their strong, sharp claws to try and injure their attacker along with kicking the threatening animal with their powerful back legs.
What is an army of ants called?
A group of ants is called a colony, or sometimes an army.
What do they call ants with wings?
Flying Ants are Called Alates These winged ants often are called alates, swarmers or reproductives. Winged ants have elbowed antennae, thin waists constricted at the thorax and hind wings smaller than their front wings.
Why are black crazy ants called crazy?
The longhorn crazy ant (Paratrechina longicornis), also known as "black crazy ant", is a species of small, dark-coloured insect in the family Formicidae. These ants are commonly called "crazy ants" because instead of following straight lines, they dash around erratically.
Why do aardvarks eat ants?
Given that aardvarks live in a desert climate, they have adapted to receive most of their hydration and water needs from the insects they eat. This is why it is very important for an aardvark to eat an adequate amount of ants or termites in a single day.
Do anteaters eat ants?
Anteaters feed almost exclusively on ants and termites, whose nests they rip open with their powerful forelimbs and claws, and then ingest with their sticky tongue. They only consume about 140 insects from each mound during a single feeding.
Do anteaters chew ants?
They then use their long snouts and tongues to scoop up as many ants and termites as possible. Since they don't have teeth, they can't chew the insects. Instead, they swallow them whole. As they eat, they also swallow small pebbles and other debris.
Do aardvarks eat ants and termites?
Aardvarks use their large front claws to dig holes at a rate of 2 feet (0.6 meters) in 15 seconds so they can quickly get to their favorite meal: termites and ants. Aardvarks have long, sticky tongues, which can be up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) long.
What does an aardvark mainly eat?
Aardvarks are insectivores that engage in myrmecophagy. That means that they primarily eat certain insects, such as termites and ants.
Are aardvarks dangerous?
Aardvarks are incredibly shy and secretive animals. When approached by a human, an aardvark will likely run away, making them a low threat to people.
Which is bigger aardvark or anteater?
An aardvark can weigh up to 180 pounds where the largest anteater, the giant anteater, can weigh up to about 140 pounds. While the aardvark is heav...
What family do anteaters belong to?
There are four species of anteaters in two families. The giant anteater and the two species of tamanduas are in family Myrmecophagidae. The smalles...
Do aardvarks eat ants?
Aardvarks are insectivorous mammals. An aardvark's diet is composed mainly of ants and termites, though they may eat other insects on occasion as w...
What is the difference between a tamandua and anteater?
A tamandua is a type of anteater. These anteaters are specialized because they have prehensile tails that help them climb through the canopies of t...
What are the sensory similarities between anteaters and aardvarks?
Anteaters and aardvarks also share sensory similarities. It doesn't take keen eyesight to spot immobile food targets like anthills and termite mounds.
What do aardvarks eat?
Like anteaters, aardvarks have elongated snouts and tongues that they use to find and eat ants and termites.
How fast can an anteater flick its tongue?
Anteaters can flick their tongues in and out of the hill as fast as 150 times per minute [source: Cohn ].
What order are anteaters in?
Their species is the only one within the Tubulidentata order. Aside from the tongue and snout, anteaters and aardvarks don't have much in common anatomically. Aardvarks are modified ungulates, or hoofed animals, with claws on their forelimbs. Anteaters have paws with large claws, and they have more fur than aardvarks.
How many ants do aardvarks eat in a day?
At that rate, they may consume 30,000 ants and termites in one day [source: San Diego Zoo ]. The aardvark's tongue is about half as long since its body is generally smaller than an anteater's, but it still gets the job done.
Why do aardvarks grow teeth?
Because of the amount of dirt and sand that enters their mouth as a byproduct of rooting around termite mounds and anthills , their teeth continually grow to withstand damage caused by the grit [source: Myers ]. For example, nearly half of one dead aardvark's stomach contents was sand [source: Redford ].
Where do aardvarks live?
United by their myrmecophagy -- or ant and termite diet -- anteaters and aardvarks are nevertheless separated by an ocean. Aardvarks are native to Africa, named for an Afrikaans word meaning "earth pig.". They prefer the floodplains in the southern region of the continent, where they can find water and soft soil for digging.
What is the difference between an anteater and an aardvark?
One difference from an anteater is that aardvarks have specialized teeth that continue growing throughout their whole life.
How many babies do anteaters have?
Both animals are mammals. They also only give birth to one offspring at a time. Even their gestation periods are similar. An anteater gestates for six months, while an aardvark carries for seven.
How big can an anteater grow?
A giant anteater can actually grow to more than 2 meters long and weigh 40 kg.
How long do anteaters live?
In the wild, it’s slightly different. An anteater on average has a shorter lifespan, usually around 15 years. Aardvark longevity ranges broadly – anywhere up to 23 years.
What order is the Aardvark?
The aardvark belongs to the Tubulidentata order. There is only one species of aardvark, which is indigenous to Africa.
How long does it take for an aardvark baby to leave its mother?
Interesting baby aardvark fact: Unlike an anteater, an aardvark baby becomes independent very quickly. It is ready to leave its mother after six months.
What animals look like anteaters?
There are other animals that look like anteaters and aardvarks, based on this same principle. Think about endangered pangolins and armadillos . Long faces, strong claws, great diggers, and insect and ant feeders. Yet they are all completely different animals. Fascinating!
What Is the Difference Between an Aardvark and an Anteater?
One of these animals is an anteater, a large South American mammal that is famous for eating millions of insects each year. The other animal is the aardvark, a peculiar mammal from Africa that is known for its remarkable digging capabilities.
What is the scientific name of an aardark?
Aardarks go by the scientific name Orycteropus afer. They are the only member of their genus, though there are multiple debated subspecies. They are also the only member of their family, Orycteropodidae, and of their order, Tubulidentata. Because they are distantly separated from other organisms on the tree of life, aardvarks and anteaters are not thought of as close relatives. In fact, the closest known living relative of the aardvark is the elephant shrew.
What is the smallest anteater?
The silky anteater is the smallest anteater and the only member of its family. Getting its name from its silky, smooth fur, silky anteaters also possess slightly smaller and stouter faces compared to their relatives. There has been some debate that silky anteaters would be better divided into multiple species based on their physical characteristics, and current research is being conducted to better understand these relationships.
How do anteaters find prey?
Anteaters are unique in that they all find and process prey with the use of a unique tongue. These animals possess long, sticky tongues which are fed into termite mounts and ant nests to capture prey. Once an ant or termite meets the sticky residue that the anteater secretes, it is rendered immobile. Anteaters then retract their tongues into their body (which extends as far back as their sternum) to collect any insects that have been harvested.
What do aardvarks eat?
Aardvarks are insectivorous mammals. An aardvark's diet is composed mainly of ants and termites, though they may eat other insects on occasion as well.
Why are aardvarks important?
Burrows left behind serve as shelter for other species, thus aardvarks are important in their ecosystem for providing to the needs of other animals.
Where do anteaters live?
They reside within the suborder Vermilingua, and their closest living relatives are sloths. While anteaters also have a diet consisting of termites and ants, they capture their prey with the use of a long, sticky tongue. Anteaters have no teeth. Anteaters are usually found within forested environments, and specialized anteaters known as tamanduas possess prehensile tails which make them well-adapted for arboreal life. There are four species of anteaters:
How good is the smell of an anteater?
Smell. Both Giant Anteaters, as well as Aardvarks, have a great sense of smell. The Giant Anteater can smell 40 times better than an average human being. On the other hand, Aardvarks have nine olfactory bulbs, which is more than any other mammal.
How to tell if an anteater is a pig?
On the other hand, the body of Aardvarks is somewhat pig-like in appearance.
What is the difference between aardvarks and anteaters?
While Aardvarks are nocturnal animals, Giant Anteaters are diurnals and hunt ants and termites actively during the day. The snout of the Giant Anteater is significantly longer than that of the Aardvark. Giant Anteaters have no teeth and swallow their food after crushing it against their mouth palates. On the other hand, Aardvarks have a well-formed and complex set of teeth. In addition to ants and termites, Aardvarks also eat Aardvark cucumber, which Giant Anteaters do not.
Why are Anteaters and Aardvarks confused?
There have been instances when Anteaters and Aardvarks have been confused for each other due to the slight likeliness of their appearances. However, upon close examination, you can find out that these two are much different from each other.
Why are anteaters declining?
The leading causes of their declining numbers are the destruction of their habitats, dog-attacks, road accidents in the urban areas, etc. In many regions, Giant Anteaters are also hunted for their hides and claws.
Why do anteaters swallow?
Due to the absence of teeth and limited jaw movement, the Giant Anteaters swallow their food instead of chewing it. They have a long tongue on which they rely for catching their food. It can stretch out to 45 cm and move in and out of their mouth at least three times per second.
How long is the anteater's head?
The head of the Giant Anteater is particularly elongated in comparison to other Anteaters as well and measures up to 30 cm in length. Their snout takes up most of the head. It is long and tubular in structure and has an opening for mouth and nostrils at its base.
Where Are They Found?
Geographic range is a major difference between anteaters and aardvarks. Anteaters live in Central and South America, from Mexico south to Argentina. Aardvarks, on the other hand, live in sub-Saharan Africa, which is all of Africa south of the Sahara desert.
What are the hairy animals that are black and white?
Both giant anteaters and tamanduas are black and white, and all four species of anteater are very hairy all over. They also have fairly small ears.
What class are anteaters in?
They both belong to the class Mammalia, but that is where the similarity ends. Anteaters belong to the order Pilosa and the suborder Vermilingua. Vermilingua means worm-tongue in Latin, which is quite appropriate given the anteater's long wiggly tongue.
Where do silky anteaters live?
Silky anteaters mostly live up in the trees, while giant anteaters and tamanduas both stay on the ground. Tamanduas build dens in fallen logs or tree trunks, and giant anteaters do not build dens. Aardvarks prefer the open savanna and grassland areas. They can be found in forested areas as well, but not in trees.
What are some examples of animals that are similar to each other?
Some animals are so similar that we often get them confused. You might confuse bees and yellowjackets, for example. Another example would be aardvarks and anteaters. These two creatures do share a similar diet, after all. They're both insectivores, meaning insect-eaters, and they mostly eat ants and termites. ...
What is the largest group of animals?
The largest group is a kingdom, and then it goes down in size to phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. Aardvarks and anteaters belong to different orders. This means they are only as similar to each other as they are to every other mammal.
What degree does Lauren have?
Lauren has taught intermediate reading in an English Language Institute, and she has her Master's degree in Linguistics. Anteaters and aardvarks are often mistaken for each other, but they're very different animals. In this lesson, you'll learn the specific differences between these two insectivores. Updated: 09/04/2020.
