Though humans have many effective ways of dealing with these creepy critters, some wild animals on the savannah have an even better solution – eating them up for a hearty meal!
But what eats termites in the savannah, and how do they do it?
Do they have many predators in the savanna or do they need to avoid just a few animals?
What Eats Termites in the Savanna?
Many different kinds of animals on the savanna eat termites which include reptiles, birds, and even insects!
Though most of these species do not subsist purely on eating termites, these insects can make up a large portion of their diet, providing excellent nutrition in the harsh savanna environment.
Want to know a bit more about what eats termites in the savanna? Stick around and keep reading! In the rest of this article,
I’ll go over some more details concerning which animals eat termites and explain a few unique ways they gather these little critters.
What Animal in the Savanna Eats Termites?
The most common animals that eats termites in the savanna include Aardvarks, Mongoose, Foxes, Owls, Sparrows and chickens.
A whole host of animals in the savanna eat termites: from mammals, reptiles, birds, and other insects, termites act as an excellent food source across the animal kingdom.
But there’s one animal notable for its ability to guzzle down termites.
Aardvarks – The Termite Terminator
You’ve probably seen an aardvark before – at least on television!
These cute African natives sniff out termite mounds and ant hills with their long, pig-like noses.
Then, once they’ve found a suitable spot to feed, they dig through the dirt with their large claws and powerful legs to get at the insects, scooping them up with their long tongue.
In fact, the aardvark’s tongue can be up to 30 centimetres long!
Aardvarks are insectivores, and they primarily consume ants and termites. So, of course, to keep these little guys going, they have to eat huge amount of bugs in one sitting.
What Reptiles in the Savanna Eats Termites?
The most common reptiles to eat termites in the savanna are large monitor lizards, skinks, ground-dwelling geckos, and agamid lizards all consume termites from termite mounds.
Africa hosts several arid-dwelling reptiles, and many of them eat insects – including termites. For example,
Some small snakes that live in proximity to termites have also been known to snatch a few bugs or their eggs when necessary.
What Birds in the Savanna Eats Termites?
Birds such as sparrows, starlings, weavers, and swifts will all snack on flying termites.
Of course, feeding on termites isn’t limited to ground-dwelling mammals and reptiles. Birds have a fair chance of catching these guys and can even snatch termites out of the air!
Other insect hunters like chickens, storks, and doves pick termites off the ground.
What Eats Termites in Africa?
Many animals across a variety of species consume termites in Africa, including mammals, reptiles, birds, and amphibians.
Apart from the aardvark, anteaters and echidnas also hunt termites. Mammals that dwell underground, like shrews and voles, will also eat termites when encountering them in the dirt.
And eating termites out of the air isn’t limited to birds. Flying mammals like bats can also snatch them up!
What about insects that also eat termites?
Well, ants and spiders will also hunt and eat termites. Ants use the power of their great numbers while spiders lay in wait to catch and consume unfortunate termites that come crawling into their webs.
