What animals eat termites?


Quick Answer

Some animals that eat termites include genets, civets, mongooses, bats and numbats. Moles, shrews, echinidnas, aardvarks and anteaters like termites, and they are also eaten by primates, lizards, frogs and snakes.

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Full Answer

Humans, insects and a wide variety of birds eat termites. Some of the birds that eat termites include sparrows, swallows, swifts, starlings and weavers. These types of birds catch the insects as they swarm in the air. Other types of birds, such as doves, spotted eagle owls, coucals and chickens, catch termites on the ground.

Insects that eat termites include ants, beetles, flies and wasps. Termites are also eaten by assassin bugs. These bugs break into termite mounds, where they stab the insects and inject them with toxins. Nematodes and unsegmented roundworms also break into termite mounds. Once inside, they invade the bodies of the termites and kill them.

Termites have soft bodies with equally wide segments, hair-like antennae and undefined waists. Some types of termites also have wings. The insects live in organized colonies, where they divide themselves into three labor groups. The divisions of labor include reproductive, soldier and worker termites. Termite colonies help the environment by converting the cellulose of plants into eco-friendly substances and food sources for a variety of animals.

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