Feeding habits of the lesser anteater
            <i>Tamandua tetradactyla</i>
            (Pilosa: Myrmecophagidae) in the Brazilian Pampa

Deloss, Andressa Xavier Rodrigues; Dröse, William; Rocha, Mauricio; Peters, Felipe Bortolotto; Kasper, Carlos Benhur

doi:10.1080/01650521.2023.2204714

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 22 publications

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“…This lineage has many unique characteristics and is not closely related to other groups of mammals [1]. Anteaters are insectivores, consuming diets consisting primarily of termites and ants in the wild [2,3]. Ants and termites are difficult for most zoos to obtain, manage, and distribute.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Estimated Wild Giant Anteater (Myrmecopahaga tridactyla Linnaeus, 1758) Diets with Commercial Diets for Insectivores: Implications for Anteater Health

Bissell,

Alves,

Yogui

et al. 2023

Animals

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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 levels in insects, stomach contents, and commercial diets all met carnivore recommendations. Both giant anteaters and tamanduas in managed care often develop hypercalcemia, perhaps because these taxa have an enhanced ability to retain calcium allowing them to survive on such low calcium diets. Results from this study indicate that, for anteaters in managed care, it is important to keep dietary calcium and vitamins D and K within recommended levels to prevent nutritional diseases such as hyper- and hypocalcemia and vitamin K deficiency.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%