External and digestive system morphology of the Tamandua tetradactyla

Abstract

Collared anteater is present throughout the Brazilian territory, but its morphology is little known. This study aimed to trace its external biometric profile and its digestive system. Six cadavers (4 ± 0.16 kg) from Paraíba, Brazil, were used. The thoracic limbs were more robust when compared to pelvic. The length of the tail is below that described in specimens from south‐eastern Brazil, probably due to the greater use of the tail suspension function in the leafier forests in this region. The tongue had no papillae and had keratinized squamous epithelium. The oesophagus was tubular with keratinized squamous epithelium. The stomach was single‐chambered with simple prismatic epithelium and presence of tubular glands in the lamina propria. The pyloric region was thicker and had larger folds of mucosa; the greater curvature was approximately three times greater than the smaller. The small intestine was larger than that found in other Xernathra species such as sloth, an herbivore animal; in the large intestine, the caecum was small. The colon was subdivided ascending, transverse and descending, with simple prismatic epithelium. This study is the first to bring the description of the external and digestive system morphometrics of collared anteater adult and pup. The anatomical characteristics of the digestive system show that the digestion of the anteaters, although not using the fermentation, is not as rapid as in other Xenarthras, probably due to the material of the exoskeleton of the insects by them consumed. The data generate subsidies for the clinic, surgery, preservation and nutrition of this species.

Sloths (Bradypus variegatus) as a polygastric mammal

“…The plurality of the Superorder Xenarthra when it comes to their digestive morphology is demonstrated by the diversity of conformations in the species already described. However, even though these animals belong to the same Superorder, they have different characteristics, as observed in the studies of Pinheiro, Lima, Carvalho, Pereira, and Branco (2014) and Firmino, Pereira, Carvalho, and Guerra (2019) This diversity can hinder captive management of these animals with regard to nutrition, and may decrease the rate of success of rehabilitation as shown by Diniz (2001), who stresses the importance of knowing the variable characteristics of anatomy, physiology and behavior, in an attempt to reduce clinical problems, with nutritional deficiency having the highest incidence in sloths (Diniz & Oliveira, 1999).…”

“…The plurality of the Superorder Xenarthra when it comes to their digestive morphology is demonstrated by the diversity of conformations in the species already described. However, even though these animals belong to the same Superorder, they have different characteristics, as observed in the studies of Pinheiro, Lima, Carvalho, Pereira, and Branco (2014) and Firmino, Pereira, Carvalho, and Guerra (2019), who described the stomach morphology of Tamandua tetradactyla , and Menezes (2013) regarding the gastric morphology of Mymercophaga tridactyla , both species having unicavitary stomachs in a “J” shape, similar to several domestic species. Rezende, Monteiro, Carvalho, Ferreira, and Miglino (2011), who only anatomically described the stomach and the vascularization of the digestive tract of B. tridactylus , described an organ with a multicavitary pattern similar to that of our study.…”

Microbiome composition and presence of cultivable commensal groups of Southern Tamanduas (Tamandua tetradactyla) varies with captive conditions

“…Furthermore, as hydrochloric acid is not produced in their stomachs like in most mammals, they depend on the supply of formic acid from swallowed ants for their digestion. Additionally, anteaters have a large cecum, a specialized pouch connected to the large intestine [ 3 , 4 ]. To utilize chitin, cellulose, and other complex carbohydrates, they live in mutually beneficial symbiosis with their gut microbiota that helps them break down these substrates [ 5 ].…”

Anatomo-histopathological alterations of gastric lesions in free-living giant anteaters (Mymercophaga tridactyla) and lesser anteaters (Tamandua tetradactyla).

“…In Brazil, the species M. tridactyla is vulnerable nationally and globally (MMa 2008; IUCN 2019; Miranda et al 2021) and the species T. tetradactyla is in a situation of little concern nationally and worldwide (IUCN 2019). These animals are insectivores and have restricted food, usually based on ants, termites, beetle larvae, bees and honey (Casali et al 2017;Firmino et al 2019, Miranda et al 2021. They have morphophysiological adaptations that ensure greater use of nutrients, since their main food has a low energy value (Navarrete and Ortega 2011).…”