Lizards

Lizards are one of the biggest predators of ants that eat ants. Ants are a favorite food of lizards. Almost every ant that is around may be seen and smelled by lizards thanks to their keen senses. The fence lizards, skinks, and geckos that inhabit our gardens and occasionally enter our houses are mostly insectivores. Because they consume insect pests like roaches and ants, these lizards are advantageous to mankind.

In the American West, harvester ants with a poisonous sting and strong mandibles for biting are the main source of food for horned lizards. It has long been a mystery how the lizards consume this perilous treat without having their internal organs pulled out. Scientists have now discovered the answer that the lizards smother the ants in mucus before consuming them whole.

Research on the diet of Eastern Fence Lizards was published in the Canadian Journal of Zoology in 2018. (Sceloporus undulatus). It was discovered that ants make up 50% of the meals of adult lizards and 80% of the diets of juvenile lizards. The fact that fence lizards consume both native and invasive ant species, including fire ants, was another significant discovery discovered by this study. Although fire ants carry a high level of venom, fence lizards appear to have developed a resistance to it.

Since they are too little to be a significant source of nutrition on their own, ants are often not a top choice of food for most lizards. They have a tough, indigestible exoskeleton that is made of chitin. Lizards would be far better off pursuing larger, more energy-dense insects.