Hello, friends! I’m a giant anteater, and I have a special job: I eat ants! Ants try to run away, but they can’t escape my super long tongue. My tongue is as long as a man’s arm and is covered in sticky saliva, which helps me catch ants easily. I can eat up to 30,000 ants every day by quickly flicking my tongue in and out.
Guess what? I found an ant nest! Ants are tasty little snacks for me. Even though I have a long tongue, I don’t have any teeth, so I can’t chew my food. Instead, I swallow small pebbles. These pebbles help crush the ants in my tummy, making it easier for me to digest them.
We anteaters only eat from a nest for a short time because we don’t want to destroy it. Ants are not just yummy; they also give me lots of water. This means I don’t need to drink much water. For me, water is not just for drinking; it’s for having fun!
Giant anteaters love to swim! After a fun swim, we like to take a nap. We sleep outside and use our big, fluffy tails as blankets. We can sleep up to 15 hours a day because eating only ants doesn’t give us a lot of energy.
Isn’t it fun to learn about giant anteaters? We have unique ways of eating and living, and we love our ant-filled adventures!
Ant Hunt Adventure: Go on a mini adventure in your backyard or a nearby park with an adult. Look for ant hills and observe how ants move and work together. Count how many ants you can see in one minute. Imagine you are a giant anteater and think about how you would catch them with your long tongue. Draw a picture of your adventure and share it with your class.
Sticky Tongue Experiment: Create your own “sticky tongue” using a piece of tape. Stick the tape to a pencil or a stick to represent the anteater’s tongue. Use it to pick up small objects like paper clips or pieces of paper. How many can you pick up in one minute? Talk about how this is similar to how a giant anteater catches ants.
Pebble Stomach Experiment: Gather some small pebbles and a few pieces of soft food like bread or banana. Place the food and pebbles in a sealed plastic bag and gently shake it. Observe how the pebbles help break down the food, similar to how they help the anteater digest ants. Discuss why the anteater might need to swallow pebbles.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi everyone! I’m a giant anteater, and I eat ants. They try to run away every time, but they don’t stand a chance with this long tongue of mine. My tongue can be as long as a man’s arm, and it’s covered in sticky saliva. I can swallow up to 30,000 ants every day by flicking my tongue in and out very quickly.
There’s an ant nest in here. Ants are delicious little things! While I have a really long tongue, I don’t have any teeth, which means I can’t chew my food. So, what do I do? I swallow pebbles! The pebbles help me crush the ants inside my tummy.
We only feed on a nest for a short while because we don’t like to destroy it. Ants are great because, in addition to being food, I get lots of water from the ants I eat. This means I don’t really need to drink water. For me, water is not just for drinking; it’s for fun!
Giant anteaters love swimming, and after swimming, we like to go to sleep. We sleep out in the open and use our tails as covers. We can sleep up to 15 hours a day because eating nothing but ants all the time means we don’t have a huge amount of energy.
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