Myrmecophagy

Myrmecophagy is a feeding behavior in animals, defined by the consumption of termites or ants—particularly as pertaining to those animal species whose diets are largely, or completely, composed of these insect types. Notable myrmecophages include the giant anteaters and tamanduas, some armadillos, and pangolins, as well as some members of the order Carnivora such as the sloth bear of the Indian subcontinent and the aardwolf of Southern Africa.

Myrmecophagy means "ant-eating" (Ancient Greek: murmēx, "ants", and phagein, "to eat"); the related habit of termite-eating is termitophagy. The two dietary habits often overlap, as these eusocial insects live in large, densely-populated, terrestrial ant colonies or termite mounds, requiring specialised adaptations from any species that wishes to access them. Physical traits of myrmecophagous animals include long, sharp, often curved frontal claws for digging into nests or mounds.