. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. 170 NATURAL HISTORY. it can be killed easily by a blow on the head. The Ant-eater runs slowly, and never moves far from the entrance of its burrow, being seen to do so only at night-time. The burrows are often two feet in diameter and three or four feet deep before they branch off. Night is the time for Ant-eating, for the active and industrious insects are then all at home and within their solid nests. Then the Orycteropus sallies forth, finds a nest, sprawls over it, and scratches a hole in its side, using his strong claws, and th
. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. 170 NATURAL HISTORY. it can be killed easily by a blow on the head. The Ant-eater runs slowly, and never moves far from the entrance of its burrow, being seen to do so only at night-time. The burrows are often two feet in diameter and three or four feet deep before they branch off. Night is the time for Ant-eating, for the active and industrious insects are then all at home and within their solid nests. Then the Orycteropus sallies forth, finds a nest, sprawls over it, and scratches a hole in its side, using his strong claws, and then introduces his long snout. Having satisfied himself that there is no danger at hand, the animal protrudes its long slimy tongue into the galleries and body of the nest, and it is at once covered with enraged Ants, which stick to it, and are finally returned with it into the mouth. This goes on over and over again, until the ajiiietitu is satisfied ; and apparently the diet is excellent, for the Ant-eater is. generally fat, and indeed his hams are apjireciated as a delicacy for their peculiar flavour, into which that of formic acid is said to enter. Although without an armour to its body, and provided with only a thick skin and bristles, the Oiycteropus has a great resemblance in many points of its anatomy to the Armadillos of Amei-ica. It is more closely allied to them than to the other Edentata. It is one of the order of Edentata, for there are no front teeth in the jaws, the incisors and canines being absent. Tlie teeth are found in the back part of the mouth, and there are five on each side and in the upper and lower jaws, or twenty in all; there are also some small teeth which fall out during the growth of the animal. As might be expected from the very simple nature of the diet, the teeth are not at all complicated in their structure. They increase in size from before backwards, the tooth but one being the largest, and all are peculiar in their minute construction.
Size: 2090px × 1196px
Photo credit: © Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjecta, booksubjectanimals
