Abstract
Very little information is available to zoo managers on the nutritional preferences of the lesser anteater, a highly specialized predator. By studying lesser anteater feeding behavior, we expect to contribute to improved management decisions and individual welfare experiences. We studied the response of zoo-housed lesser anteaters (n = 7) to feeders with live ants (Acromyrmex lundi) and termites (Cortaritermes fulviceps), and we also evaluated the nutritional values of these prey. We individually evaluated each lesser anteater (3 sessions), recording activities by camera. We ground insect samples into a coarse meal and evaluated in vitro biochemical parameters (humidity, lipids proteins, ash, and carbohydrates). Lesser anteaters spent more time with termites than with ants and consumed more termites. Ant meal presented a higher protein and lipid content than termite meal (35.28 ± 0.18% vs. 18.19 ± 0.34% and 16.95 ± 0.13% vs. 6.54 ± 0.31%, respectively), and carbohydrate digestibility was higher in termites. These findings indicate an association between the level of insect consumption and nutritional and digestibility values. This is the first exploration of lesser anteater responses to the presence of social insects in feeders and may serve to guide the study of food preferences in captivity.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilThe lesser anteater is a highly specialized predator subsisting almost exclusively on a diet of ants and termites [1]
Our objectives were to: A-evaluate the activity pattern and amounts of ants (A. lundi) and termites (C. fulviceps) consumed by lesser anteaters under laboratory conditions, and the timing of consumption of ants (A. lundi) and termites (C. fulviceps) (Study 1); B-measure humidity, proteins, ash, lipids, and the protein and carbohydrate digestibility in vitro of the insects offered as food stimuli to infer their nutritional value (Study 2)
We offered food-based environmental enrichment on a weekly basis: fruits, honey, ants (Camponotus rufipes, Pheidole sp. and in greater quantity A. lundi), and occasionally termites (C. fulviceps)
Summary
The lesser anteater is a highly specialized predator subsisting almost exclusively on a diet of ants and termites [1]. The lesser anteater behaves as an individualistic predator and is nocturnal to crepuscular-diurnal [2,3], actively searching for prey mainly by using its developed sense of smell [1,4]. Several studies have reported that lesser anteaters consume a large variety of ants and termites [5,6]. Nutritional assessments of lesser anteaters’ natural prey are still lacking. Oyarzun et al [7] conducted a nutritional assessment of colonies of arboreal termites consumed by this species in the wild. The lesser anteater is listed as “threatened” in Córdoba,
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