anteater
Long-tongued insectivore
An anteater is a mammal that feeds on ants and termites, using a long snout and sticky tongue to extract them from nests.
The term covers several unrelated species—giant anteaters of Central and South America, pangolins of Africa and Asia, and echidnas of Australia—united by their diet and feeding apparatus rather than ancestry.
Beast's protruding face
- tongueOral muscle for taste
- proboscisElongated animal head appendage
- clawsAnimal gripping nails
- furAnimal body hair
tail · prehensile · elongated · tubular · sticky · nostrils · toothless · coarse
Disinclination to exert oneself
- armadilloPlated burrowing mammal
- pangolinScale-covered ant-eating mammal
- echidnaEgg-laying spined mammal
- neotropicalLatin American biogeographic zone
Social colony insects
- termitesWood-eating social insects
- insectsSix-legged arthropods
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- anthillInsect colony's earthen home
licking · larvae · colony · swarm · digging · probing · saliva
Active during darkness
- diurnalActive during daylight
- solitaryExisting alone, apart
- prowlingMoving stealthily while hunting
- sniffingInhaling through the nose
roaming · foraging · shuffling · ambling · territorial · secretive · slow-moving · ground-dwelling
Tropical grassland, sparse trees
- rainforestWet tropical woodland ecosystem
- grasslandTreeless herb-covered ecosystem
- wetlandWaterlogged land ecosystem
- neotropicalLatin American biogeographic zone
snout
Beast's protruding face
fur · tail · prehensile · elongated · tubular · sticky · nostrils · toothless · coarse · bushy
sloth
Disinclination to exert oneself
- armadilloPlated burrowing mammal
- pangolinScale-covered ant-eating mammal
- echidnaEgg-laying spined mammal
neotropical · solitary · burrowing · arboreal
ants
Social colony insects
anthill · licking · larvae · colony · swarm · digging · probing · saliva
nocturnal
Active during darkness
sniffing · roaming · foraging · shuffling · ambling · territorial · secretive · slow-moving · ground-dwelling
savanna
Tropical grassland, sparse trees
- rainforestWet tropical woodland ecosystem
- grasslandTreeless herb-covered ecosystem
- wetlandWaterlogged land ecosystem
neotropical · burrow · Brazil · Argentina · Venezuela
- eaterscarnivore, herbivore, omnivore, insectivore, frugivore
- Mesoamerican naturejaguar, quetzal, howler monkey, spider monkey, tapir
- Xenarthransarmadillo, armadillos, sloth, sloths, three-toed sloth
- animalscat, dog, bird, fish, cow
- mammalsbears, bats, sheep, cats, baboons
- wildlifewhite-tailed deer, birds, mammals, elephant, reptiles
anteaterapex predator
Unpreyed-upon dominant hunter
lion · tiger · great white shark · wolf · crocodile
- giant anteatersLarge snout-bearing insect eaters
- spiny anteaterQuilled monotreme eating insects