Why do anteaters feed only briefly at each nest?

To avoid stings and keep nests alive

Anteaters Quiz: Can You Get 8 Out of 10?

No teeth, a tongue longer than its head and up to 30,000 ants a day: this anteaters quiz begins with one of nature's strangest diets. From the grasslands of Brazil to the forests of Mexico, find out how these mammals feed without ever destroying a nest.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Teeth
How many teeth does an anteater have?
Tongue
How long can a giant anteater's tongue be?
Count
How many ants or termites can a giant anteater eat in a day?
Visit
Why do anteaters feed only briefly at each nest?
Claws
What do anteaters use their large claws for?
Smallest
Which is the smallest anteater?
Tree
Which anteater uses a gripping tail to climb trees?
Relatives
Which animals are anteaters' closest relatives?
Babies
How does a baby giant anteater travel?
Home
Where do anteaters live in the wild?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: How many teeth does an anteater have?
Answer: None
It swallows insects whole.
Q2: How long can a giant anteater's tongue be?
Answer: About 60 cm
Sticky saliva helps catch insects.
Q3: How many ants or termites can a giant anteater eat in a day?
Answer: About 30,000
It flicks its tongue very quickly.
Q4: Why do anteaters feed only briefly at each nest?
Answer: To avoid stings and keep nests alive
They return to the same nests later.
Q5: What do anteaters use their large claws for?
Answer: Tearing open nests and defense
They walk on their knuckles to protect them.
Q6: Which is the smallest anteater?
Answer: Silky anteater
It weighs about 400 grams.
Q7: Which anteater uses a gripping tail to climb trees?
Answer: Tamandua
It is also called the lesser anteater.
Q8: Which animals are anteaters' closest relatives?
Answer: Sloths
Together they are called pilosans.
Q9: How does a baby giant anteater travel?
Answer: On its mother's back
Its stripe blends with hers.
Q10: Where do anteaters live in the wild?
Answer: Central and South America
Aardvarks and pangolins are not anteaters.

Anteaters Quiz – Tongues and Claws

Anteaters are toothless mammals from Central and South America that feed on ants and termites. There are four species: the giant anteater, the northern and southern tamanduas and the tiny silky anteater.

An anteater rips open a nest with its claws and flicks its long, sticky tongue in and out many times a second. It feeds for only a minute or so at each nest, avoiding stings and leaving the colony to recover.

Giant anteaters are vulnerable because of habitat loss, wildfires and road accidents, especially in Brazil's grasslands. Anteaters, sloths and armadillos belong to an ancient group of mammals that evolved in South America.

What This Quiz Teaches

Wildlife fans and students will find these questions useful.

Why anteaters have no teeth
How long their tongues are
How many ants they eat
Which anteater climbs trees
Who their relatives are

Did You Know?

Giant anteaters sleep up to 15 hours a day.
Anteaters have a very low body temperature.
Silky anteaters are nocturnal.
Anteaters can swim.
Tamanduas give off a strong smell.