User:ApolloErwin/Southern tamandua

Article body
Southern tamanduas eat ants and termites in roughly equal proportions, although they may also eat a small quantity of fruit. They locate their food by scent, and prey on a wide range of species, including army ants, carpenter ants, and Nasutitermes. They avoid eating ants armed with strong chemical defenses, such as leafcutter ants.[citation needed] They also consume beetle larvae and their water requirement is obtained through their food. But as with the ants, beetles with a chemical defense are generally avoided. Evidence also suggests that southern tamanduas in captivity prefer termites over ants whilst Tamanduas examined in the wild consume a larger quantity of ants than termites. Anteaters extract their prey by using their extremely strong fore limbs to rip open nests and their elongated snouts and rounded tongues (up to 40 cm (16 in) in length) to lick up the insects. These tongues are adapted specifically for myrmecophagy thanks to specialized papillae that allow them to grab onto their tiny prey.

Although it has the same diet as the giant anteater, both animals are able to live alongside one another, perhaps because the southern tamandua is able to reach nests in trees, while its larger relative cannot.