Are you curious about animals with small mouths? While some animals have large, imposing jaws, others have tiny, delicate mouths perfectly adapted to their needs. Here is a list of the top five animals with small mouths.
Dik-Dik
If you are looking for an animal with a small mouth, then one of the most interesting creatures you can find is the dik-dik. These small antelopes are native to eastern and southern Africa and are named for the sound they make when alarmed, which sounds like “dik-dik.”
Dik-diks are fascinating animals for many reasons. For one, they are incredibly small, standing only about 30-40 centimetres tall at the shoulder. They are also quite light, weighing only 3-6 kilograms. Despite their small size, they are quite fast and can run up to speeds of 42 km/h.
They have elongated snouts and prehensile noses, which they use to pick up food and communicate with one another. They also have large eyes and ears, which help them detect predators and other potential threats.
Dik-diks are herbivores and feed on a variety of plants, including leaves, fruits, and flowers. They are known to have a unique way of marking their territory by secreting a tar-like substance from their preorbital glands, which they then rub onto branches and other objects in their territory.
Bumblebee Bat
This tiny bat is also known as Kitti’s Hog-nosed Bat, the smallest bat species in the world. It may even be the smallest mammal on the planet, depending on how you define size.
Bumblebee Bats are found in Thailand and Myanmar, where they live in limestone caves near rivers. They’re tiny, with a length of only 29-33 millimetres and a weight of just 2 grams. That’s why they’re called Bumblebee Bats – they’re about the same size as a Bumblebee!
One of the most distinctive features of the Bumblebee Bat is its pig-like snout with thin, vertical nostrils. It’s an unusual feature, but it helps the bat locate insects to eat. Bumblebee Bats are carnivorous and feed on insects like moths, flies, and beetles.
Despite their small size, Bumblebee Bats are impressive creatures. They can fly up to 100 kilometres per night in search of food and use echolocation to navigate in the dark. They’re also incredibly agile, flying through narrow cave passages and catching insects on the wing.
Elephant Shrew
If you’re looking for an animal with a small mouth, the elephant shrew is a great example. These tiny mammals are native to Africa, also known as jumping shrews or sengis.
One of the most distinctive features of the elephant shrew is its long, tapered, and flexible snout, which is why it’s sometimes called a proboscis. This snout helps the elephant shrew search for food, which usually consists of insects, worms, and spiders.
Despite their small size, elephant shrews have incredibly long hind legs and feet, which they use to move up to 3 feet in the air quickly. They can also change direction quickly, making them difficult prey for predators such as birds of prey, snakes, and small carnivores.
Elephant shrews are social animals that live in pairs or small groups. They communicate with each other using a variety of vocalizations, including grunts, whistles, and chirps.
There are approximately 20 species of elephant shrews, and they can be found in various habitats, including forests, woodlands, and grasslands. Despite their small size, elephant shrews play an important role in their ecosystems by controlling insect populations.
Jerboa
These small, hopping rodents are found in Northern Africa, eastern Europe, and Asia. They are primarily members of the family Dipodidae.
Jerboas are known for their quirky kangaroo-like appearance, long back legs, tails, and tiny forearms. They have small mouths perfectly adapted to their diet of insects, seeds, and small plants.
Jerboas are crepuscular, which means they are most active during dawn and dusk. They are also known for their incredible jumping ability, allowing them to escape from predators quickly.
There are 33 species of Jerboa, all of which have their unique characteristics. For example, the long-eared Jerboa has exceptionally long ears that can grow up to 10cm long. These ears help them pick up sounds from far away, which is important for detecting predators.
Fennec Fox
The fennec fox is the smallest of all foxes, and its mouth is just one of the many features that make it unique. One of the most distinctive features of the fennec fox is its large ears, which can be up to six inches long. These ears help the fox hear prey moving in the sand and locate it easily.
The fennec fox’s small mouth is perfectly suited to its diet, which consists of insects, small mammals, and birds. Because it lives in the desert, it needs to survive on very little water, so it gets most of the moisture it needs from the food it eats.
Despite its small size, the fennec fox is a skilled hunter, using its keen senses to locate prey and its sharp teeth to catch and kill it.