How do anteaters and aardvarks differ from each other?

If you were to attend a potluck dinner hosted by aardvarks, anteaters, and armadillos, you could simply step outside, locate an anthill, and gather a pile of ants to contribute to the feast. Although keeping the ants from invading the dinner table might be tricky, your offering would be highly valued. These animals belong to a group of mammals with a particular preference for ants, as suggested by the anteater's name. In fact, there are only 22 species of creatures known as myrmecophagous, meaning they primarily eat termites and ants [source: Redford].

Among these 22 species, anteaters and aardvarks are often grouped together as assumed relatives, and some even refer to aardvarks as 'anteaters.' While their facial features are similar, such as their long snouts and tongues, there are distinct differences. The anteater’s tongue can stretch as far as 24 inches (60 centimeters) to probe anthills and collect ants by the hundreds. In fact, anteaters can flick their tongues up to 150 times per minute [source: Cohn]. At this pace, they can consume as many as 30,000 ants and termites in a single day [source: San Diego Zoo].

The aardvark’s tongue, although only half the length of the anteater’s due to its smaller body size, still serves its purpose effectively. Both creatures rely on their hollow snouts to create suction, allowing them to quickly extract ants and termites from their mounds. Their enlarged salivary glands produce thick, sticky saliva that helps trap the insects on their tongues.

Anteaters and aardvarks also share similar sensory abilities. Neither species requires sharp eyesight to spot stationary food sources like anthills and termite mounds. As such, both have poor vision but possess highly developed olfactory senses, enabling them to sniff out their underground meals. Once they locate their food, both aardvarks and anteaters use their strong front claws to tear into the mound and begin devouring ants or termites. Their swift, deep strikes help them avoid the stinging soldier ants defending the mound.

Though two creatures may enjoy the same food and use similar tools to consume it, this doesn't mean they share the same genetic origins. They merely employ comparable strategies for nourishment. The same is true for anteaters and aardvarks.

Anteaters and Aardvarks: A Nose for Insect Extermination

As unrelated species that have independently developed similar traits, anteaters and aardvarks are a fascinating example of convergent evolution. United by their shared diet of ants and termites, these animals are separated by vast distances. Aardvarks, native to Africa, get their name from the Afrikaans term meaning 'earth pig.' They prefer the floodplains of southern Africa, where soft soil and access to water make digging easier. Anteaters, on the other hand, are found in Central and South America, where the warmer climate offers an abundance of ants.

The two species also belong to different branches of the animal kingdom's genetic tree. Anteaters are classified under the order Pilosa, which they share with sloths. There are four species of anteaters, ranging in size from the tiny silky anteater, measuring less than a foot in length, to the giant anteater, which can reach up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) in length. Between these extremes are the mid-sized northern and southern collared anteaters, known as tamanduas. Aardvarks, on the other hand, belong to the order Tubulidentata, and are closely related to elephant shrews, with only one species in their group.

Beyond their elongated tongues and snouts, anteaters and aardvarks differ significantly in their anatomy. Aardvarks are modified ungulates, or hoofed animals, and have claws on their front limbs. Anteaters, in contrast, have large claws on their paws, and more fur than aardvarks. To protect their 4-inch (10-centimeter) claws from excessive wear, anteaters walk with an unusual gait, curling their claws up under their paws like clenched fists.

The main distinction between anteaters and aardvarks lies in their mouths. Despite lacking incisors or canines, aardvarks have teeth. Their teeth continuously grow to combat the wear caused by dirt and sand they ingest while digging for termites and ants [source: Myers]. For instance, sand made up nearly half of one aardvark's stomach contents [source: Redford]. In contrast, anteaters have tooth-like structures called papillae on the roof of their mouths to help grind up ants [source: Cohn]. Their muscular stomachs then finish the digestive process.

Anteaters and aardvarks have developed similar mechanisms to enjoy their shared diets of ants and termites. However, they are sufficiently different that we don’t consider them related. They simply share a love for the tasty insects they consume.