Comparison of Estimated Wild Giant Anteater (Myrmecopahaga tridactyla Linnaeus, 1758) Diets with Commercial Diets for Insectivores: Implications for Anteater Health
Heidi Bissell,
Mario H. Alves,
Débora R. Yogui
et al.
Abstract:Using the stomach contents of 24 wild road-killed giant anteaters as proxies for their diet, we found that estimated wild diets were much lower in calcium (about ten times less) and phosphorus compared with manufactured feeds commonly fed to anteaters under human care. Indicators of soil consumption, such as ash, iron, and manganese were higher in the stomach contents than in either wild termites or manufactured diets, likely due to high levels of soil ingestion during feeding in the wild. Protein and fat leve… Show more
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.