Organism Physiology Paper

Organism Physiology Paper

Melissa Doyle

BIO 101

May 25, 2015

Lindsey DeLuca

Organism Physiology Paper

The anteater is a very odd creature to look at. They live in Central and South America and survive on termites and ants. The giant anteater is the largest of the species. An adult can grow to be as long as 8 feet and weigh up to 140 pounds. Ant eaters have no teeth they only have a long sticky tongue in order to catch their prey.

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Most giant anteaters are brown or gray with a black stripe that goes from the under part of the nose to the middle of the belly. This helps to camouflage the anteater in the forest from other animals. The anteaters head is more like a long tube that ends at the mouth and nose. Even though the anteater has a relatively small brain, its skull can be as big as 18 long. The anteater also has very small ears and eyes because they rely much more on their sense of smell than they do on their hearing and sight. An anteater can smell up to forty times better than a human can. The tongue of an anteater can grow up to two feet long and is very sticky in order to catch termites and ants for consumption.

As the anteater evolved over time its tongue became longer due to drought. The ants went deeper underground so in order for the anteater to feed its tongue had to be long enough to reach them. Anteaters have adapted in several ways to their environment besides the growing of the tongue. Anteaters did not start out walking with their paws turned under like a gorilla does. The do this is order to keep their claws safe because they grow log and are sharp, they need to protect them so they do not break and they can continue to dig at the ant hills to get their food.

Another adaptation they have made is the length of their claws. They are long in order to dig deeper into the ground in order to get food and also to protect themselves against other predators. Without teeth their only defense is their claws. Most anteaters are like humans in the way they sleep at night and roam during the day, unless they are born and raised in a zoo they then tend to be nocturnal.

Since the anteater has no teeth, it relies on its strong jaw and stomach muscles in order to break down its food. The anteater usually swallows its food whole. While the anteater is eating from an anthill it will not eat all the ants. The ants sting when the anteater tries to eat them so he will eat so many then move on without tearing up the anthill.