ant bear
- noun
- /ænt bɛr/
:
aardvark
- The ant bear uses its long tongue to gather termites from their nests at night.
Examples
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While on safari, we were lucky enough to spot an ant bear digging in the grassland.
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The burrows of the ant bear provide shelter for many other animals once abandoned.
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The ant bear is known for its long snout.
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Many people have never seen an ant bear in the wild.
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The ant bear skillfully uses its long tongue to extract termites from their underground nests.
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At night, the ant bear emerges to search for food, relying on its keen sense of smell to locate termite mounds.
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Observers on the safari were thrilled to see an ant bear foraging near the edge of the grassland.
Synonyms
11
7.4
A large African animal that is active at night, digs burrows, and eats ants and termites
1
5.3
An animal active at night in African grasslands that lives in burrows and eats termites
A mammal with a long snout and strong claws that digs burrows and eats termites at night
Surface Forms
Morphology
ant + bear
A B1 learner who knows 'ant' and 'bear' would naturally interpret 'ant bear' as an animal associated with ants — i.e., an animal that eats or lives on ants/termites. The compound follows a straightforward noun + animal pattern (like 'anteater' or other language equivalents), so the basic meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Ant bear was also used by early visitors in Africa as a simple name for the aardvark because it digs and uses a long tongue to 'eat termites' and other insects. People thought it looked like a burrowing bear that ate ants and termites, so the picture of ant + bear helps explain why the name can mean the aardvark too.