One reason why different species share a characteristic is that they received it from a common ancestor. For instance, because their last common ancestor had four limbs, cats and reptiles both have four legs today. Some features, however, are the result of convergent evolution, which means that two groups with different last common ancestors independently developed a trait that was similar but not identical. The flight of birds and bats serves as an illustration of this; it has been more than 300 million years since the reptile branch of evolution that gave rise to birds separated from the mammal branch that gave rise to bats, and that old, bulky lizard-like predecessor most certainly did not fly. Therefore, convergent evolution—in which each group of animals developed wings independently—is what gave rise to the wings of birds and bats.
The anteater’s tongue is an evolutionary masterpiece
There are four species of animals in the suborder Vermilingua known as anteaters, often known as “antbears.” The Giant Anteater, Silky Anteater, Southern Tamandua, and Northern Tamandua are the four species.
They are excellent creatures. Despite how strange it is, they manage to pull off the whole “slurp up ants with their sticky, noodly, bendy straw tongues” act with such assurance. And sure, anteater tongues are peculiar, according to experts. There are four species of animals in the suborder Vermilingua known as anteaters, often known as “antbears.” The Giant Anteater, Silky Anteater, Southern Tamandua, and Northern Tamandua are the four species. They are excellent creatures. Despite how strange it is, they manage to pull off the whole “slurp up ants with their sticky, noodly, bendy straw tongues” act with such assurance. And researchers concur that anteater tongues are peculiar. An anteater can swallow up to 35,000 ants and termites entire each day thanks to its tongue, which can flick up to 160 times per minute!
How Anteaters hunt
Anteaters may rip through anthills or decaying wood that may contain termites or ants while they are in search of food. They use their noses to smell food since they have a weak vision.
They then gather as many ants and termites as they can using their large snouts and tongues. They are unable to eat insects because they lack teeth.
Rather, they ingest them entirely. They consume tiny stones and other trash along with their food. By crushing the insects in the stomach, these substances aid in their insect digestion.
Anteaters consume soft-bodied grubs, soft fruits, and bird eggs in addition to ants and termites. Additionally, fruits, hard-boiled eggs, ground beef, and dog kibble are consumed by anteaters in zoos. In the most recent investigation, samples were taken from three different species: giant anteaters, southern tamanduas, and silky anteaters. They discovered an oval-shaped cross-section of a long, narrow tongue after dissecting the tongues in various ways and using a microscope. The portion that was furthest from the head has lumpy protrusions all over it, but the front portion is smooth and spherical. The gigantic anteater and southern tamandua possessed tongues with conical points that resembled, well,
penises (the silky anteater did not). HOW SPECIAL ARE THEIR TONGUES?
In addition, the muscular makeup of the tongue suggested that it likely extends widely. This implies that the muscles are uniquely crafted to maximize the organ’s flexibility and speed in order to match their feeding behavior.
Of course, there is sticky mucus all over the place. However, there aren’t many taste buds as anteaters primarily consume ants and occasionally, soil. Therefore, it is conceivable to hypothesize that a tongue with poor taste adaptation may be advantageous for their eating habits.
