Mammals have evolved into ant eaters 12 times since the dinosaur age,study finds

https://phys.org/news/2025-07-mammals-evolved-ant-eaters-dinosaur.html

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.bestiver.se/post/872325

Comments

128 points · 15 comments · view on lemmy.world

15 Comments

rljkeimig@lemmy.world · 28 pts · 218d (3 replies)

Are crabs still winning and is there a word like carcinization to describe the mammal -> anteater pipeline?

resipsaloquitur@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 218d (1 reply)

Zotification.

rljkeimig@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 218d

Very cool Nature, I love it 👍

EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com · 5 pts · 218d

The parallels with crabs / carcinization was the first thing I thought of when I saw the headline.

Worx@lemmynsfw.com · 21 pts · 218d (3 replies)

Ants should stop being so fcking tasty if they don't want to be eaten.

Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 218d

Fire ants are the spicy flavor!

skulblaka@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 218d (1 reply)

Tasty barely has anything to do with it, they should stop being the most common animal on the planet by like a factor of 8.

The total biomass of Earth's ant population is estimated at around 12 megatons, that's a fucking lot. I'm told this exceeds the total combined biomass of all wild birds and non-human mammals, and matches about 20% of total human biomass.

If you put all the creatures of the Earth in a bag and pulled one out at random, you're about 50% likely to pull an ant.

finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 206d

If we can get them all in one area, we should be able to pull the Earth out of orbit.

pruwybn@discuss.tchncs.de · 9 pts · 218d

"This animal eats ants, so let's call it an Anteater."

"What about this other one that also eats ants?"

"Uh, I dunno, Numbat I guess?"

logicbomb@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 218d (1 reply)

Become a crab. Become an anteater.

Thedogdrinkscoffee@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 218d

¿Por qué no los dos?

With CRISPR CAS9, we can become both. While WW3 is on the doorstep, WW4 will be fought between the crabby ant-eaters and the ant-eating crabs.

Chee_Koala@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 218d (1 reply)

Hahaha, I thought the crab counter was at about 5? Ez win for the anteaters. I mean there were some bivalve boys but there can only be one, true clam.

HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 218d

Yeah, I'm a crab dude and am not switching to anteater now, this is the delicious hill I die on. But I'll pay them their rheumatism.

charade_you_are@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 218d

It makes sense. Ants are delicious!

ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 218d

Anteaterization.