Abstract
This study provides data on the diet of two species of anteaters in Argentina. We worked with feces and the stomachs of road kill individuals. The feces were washed to separate the soil material consumed and 100 ml of the stomachs’ content were taken and examined. The differences in diet between both species of anteaters are related to their habits and the availability of ants. Ants consumed by Myrmecophaga tridactyla have mainly soil habits, nesting and foraging in the leaf litter. Meanwhile, ants consumed by Tamandua tetradactyla are characterized by foraging both at the ground level and on vegetation.
Acknowledgments
We especially thank Luis Gerardo Pagano, Roberto “Palito” Jensen, Agustín Anzoategui for contributing part of the material analyzed and Maria de las Mercedes Guerisoli for assistance in the field necropsy in Formosa province. Regarding the revision of English language, we would like to thank Professor Beatriz Torres from Gustavus Adolphus College and Lic. Antonela Isoglio for establishing the contact with her.
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