Aardvarks live throughout Africa, south of the Sahara. Their name
comes from South Africa's Afrikaans language and means "earth pig." A
glimpse of the aardvark's body and long snout brings the pig to mind. On
closer inspection, the aardvark appears to include other animal
features as well. It boasts rabbitlike ears and a kangaroo tail—yet the
aardvark is related to none of these animals.
Aardvarks are
nocturnal. They spend the hot African afternoon holed up in cool
underground burrows dug with their powerful feet and claws that resemble
small spades. After sunset, aardvarks put those claws to good use in
acquiring their favorite food—termites.
While foraging in
grasslands and forests aardvarks, also called "antbears," may travel
several miles a night in search of large, earthen termite mounds.
A
hungry aardvark digs through the hard shell of a promising mound with
its front claws and uses its long, sticky, wormlike tongue to feast on
the insects within. It can close its nostrils to keep dust and insects
from invading its snout, and its thick skin protects it from bites. It
uses a similar technique to raid underground ant nests.
Female
aardvarks typically give birth to one newborn each year. The young
remain with their mother for about six months before moving out and
digging their own burrows, which can be extensive dwellings with many
different openings.
Fast Facts
- Type:
- Mammal
- Diet:
- Omnivore
- Average life span in captivity:
- 23 years
- Size:
- Head and body, 43 to 53 in (109 to 135 cm); Tail, 21 to 26 in (53 to 66 cm)
- Weight:
- 110 to 180 lbs (50 to 82 kg)
- Did you know?
- An aardvark's tongue can be up to 12 in (30.5 cm) long and is sticky to help extract termites from the earthen mounds.
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