The giant anteater has no teeth and is capable of only very limited jaw movement.
It relies on the rotation of the two halves of its lower jaw, held together by a ligament at the tip, to open and close its mouth.
This is accomplished by its masticatory muscles, which are relatively underdeveloped.
Jaw depression creates an oral opening large enough for the slender tongue to flick out.
It is typically 60 cm (24 in) long and is triangular posteriorly, rounded anteriorly, and ends in a small, rounded tip.
The tongue is covered in backward-curving papillae and coated in thick, sticky saliva secreted from its enlarged salivary glands, which allows the giant anteater to collect insects with it.

The tube-like rostrum and small mouth opening restrict the tongue to protrusion-retraction movements.
During feeding, the animal relies on the orientation of its head for aim.
The tongue can reach up to 45 cm (18 in), longer than the length of the skull, and move in and out around 160 times per minute (nearly three times per second).
The anteater's tongue has little to no attachments to the hyoid and this is what allows it to flick its tongue at such distances and speed.
The long sternoglossus muscle, which is formed by the fusion of the sternohyoid and the hyoglossus, is directly anchored to the sternum.
The hyoid apparatus is large, V-shaped and flexible and supports the tongue as it goes in and out of the mouth.
The buccinators allow it to slide back in without losing attached food and tighten the mouth to prevent food from escaping as it extends.
When retracted, the tongue is held in the oropharynx by the secondary palate, preventing it from blocking respiration.

Giant anteaters swallow at a much higher rate than most other mammals; when feeding, they swallow almost continuously.
Before being swallowed, insects are crushed against the palate.
The giant anteater's stomach, similar to a bird's gizzard, has hardened folds and uses strong contractions to grind up the insects.
The digestive process is assisted by small amounts of ingested sand and soil.
The giant anteater cannot produce stomach acid of its own, but uses the formic acid of its prey for digestion.
The giant anteater has no teeth and is capable of only very limited jaw movement. It relies on the rotation of the two halves of its lower jaw, held together by a ligament at the tip, to open and close its mouth. This is accomplished by its masticatory muscles, which are relatively underdeveloped. Jaw depression creates an oral opening large enough for the slender tongue to flick out. It is typically 60 cm (24 in) long and is triangular posteriorly, rounded anteriorly, and ends in a small, rounded tip. The tongue is covered in backward-curving papillae and coated in thick, sticky saliva secreted from its enlarged salivary glands, which allows the giant anteater to collect insects with it.
The tube-like rostrum and small mouth opening restrict the tongue to protrusion-retraction movements. During feeding, the animal relies on the orientation of its head for aim. The tongue can reach up to 45 cm (18 in), longer than the length of the skull, and move in and out around 160 times per minute (nearly three times per second). The anteater's tongue has little to no attachments to the hyoid and this is what allows it to flick its tongue at such distances and speed. The long sternoglossus muscle, which is formed by the fusion of the sternohyoid and the hyoglossus, is directly anchored to the sternum. The hyoid apparatus is large, V-shaped and flexible and supports the tongue as it goes in and out of the mouth. The buccinators allow it to slide back in without losing attached food and tighten the mouth to prevent food from escaping as it extends. When retracted, the tongue is held in the oropharynx by the secondary palate, preventing it from blocking respiration.
Giant anteaters swallow at a much higher rate than most other mammals; when feeding, they swallow almost continuously. Before being swallowed, insects are crushed against the palate. The giant anteater's stomach, similar to a bird's gizzard, has hardened folds and uses strong contractions to grind up the insects. The digestive process is assisted by small amounts of ingested sand and soil. The giant anteater cannot produce stomach acid of its own, but uses the formic acid of its prey for digestion.
Giant anteater