Registros de Hormigas Y Termitas Presentes en la Dieta de Osos Hormigueros (Mammalia: Myrmecophagidae) en Tres Localidades de Colombia

Abstract

Anteaters (Mammalia: Myrmecophagidae) feed mainly on ants and termites. Three anteater species are present in Colombia: the giant anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla, the Northern lesser anteater Tamandua mexicana, and the Southern lesser anteater Tamandua tetradactyla. Nothing is known about their trophic ecology in the country. This study presents records of prey consumed by these species based on the analysis of stomach contents and feces, and compares the interspecific differences in consumed prey types. Data for M. tridactyla were obtained from four fecal samples from the Orinoco region, and the Tamandua samples were obtained from stomach contents of two specimens, one from the Andes region and the second one from the Orinoco region. Twenty-seven ant species were identified, belonging to 14 genera, ten tribes, and five subfamilies. Only two species of termites were found. Tamandua mexicana was the anteater that ate the greatest amount of ant species. Camponotus, Solenopsis and Ectatomma were the most frequent ant genera, and workers were more common than other castes. Tamandua species fed mainly on arboreal ants, while M. tridactyla had only ingested terrestrial ants. The differences between diets of anteaters seem to be related with resource availability and the abundance of ants in the habitat of each species.