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- Aardvarks are a little anti-social—and even inhospitable. They are mostly solitary mammals and only come together for mating. Even though they are nocturnal, they sometimes come out during the day to sun themselves. Since their eyesight is limited, the aardvark is always cautious when leaving their burrow to forage for termites.
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Dec 24, 2023 · Aardvarks prefer habitats with loose, sandy soil, and are found throughout Africa. They primarily feed on ants and termites, consuming up to 50,000 insects in a single night. Aardvarks face threats from habitat loss and hunting, making conservation efforts essential for their survival.
- Amazing Facts About The Aardvark
- Where Does The Name Aardvark Come from?
- What Do Aardvarks Look like?
- Where Do Aardvarks Live?
- What Do Aardvarks Eat?
- What Predators Do Aardvarks have?
- When Do Aardvarks Give Birth to Cubs?
- What Are The Greatest Threats to Aardvarks?
Aardvarks are tough mammals that live throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. They can eat 50,000 ants a night and are brilliantly adapted to digging with their spade-shaped feet. Aardvarks are a vital part of the ecosystem as they are prey for many species, and their old burrows provide homes for other animals, such as African Wild Dogs.
The name Aardvark comes from South Africa’s Afrikaans language and means ‘earth pig’ or ‘ground pig’. Aardvarks are also known as ‘antbears’, ‘anteaters’, ‘Cape anteater’ and ‘earth hogs’.
Aardvarks are distinctive-looking animals. They look a bit like pigs but with a kangaroo-like tail. They have a stout body with an arched back, long thin head and neck and long tubular ears, which they usually hold upright but can fold down. Their hind legs are longer than the front ones, and they have powerful spade-shaped feet and claws that are ...
Aardvarks are found in a wide variety of habitats in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is part of Africa below the Saharan desert. They favour areas with ample supplies of ants and termites, such as savannas, grasslands, woodlands and bushland, and tend to avoid rocky or swamp areas, as they are less suited to digging. Aardvarks are nocturnal, sleeping in ...
Aardvarks feed almost exclusively on ants and termites and are known to eat around 50,000 in one night. They can eat plants and often feed on an African cucumber known as the aardvark cucumber. The relationship between aardvarks and aardvark cucumbers is symbiotic, meaning both species benefit. The aardvark gets a source of food, and the cucumber b...
Aardvarks are prey to many animals including lions, leopards, hunting dogs, hyenas, and pythons. Aardvarks have a keen sense of hearing that enables them to detect approaching predators. If they need to escape, they can dig fast or run in zigzags. If not, they can strike with their claws, tail and shoulders, and have been known to flip onto their b...
Aardvarks are solitary and only come together to mate; females have a gestation period of seven months. One cub is born between May and July and will remain in the burrow for the first two weeks of life. Cubs start eating termites at around nine weeks of age, and start digging burrows at six months, but remain with the mother until the following ma...
Aardvarks are listed as least concern by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The extent of threats is mostly unknown, and no particular conservation measures are in place currently. Potential threats include the bushmeat trade, subsistence hunting and habitat loss due to agriculture.
- Aardvarks are the only surviving species of their order. As evidenced by fossils, Tubulidentata were not numerous when they first appeared in Africa 65 million years ago, long after the dinosaurs went extinct.
- Aardvarks had their nicknames coined from their looks. Tubulidentata genus Orycteropus is the term given to about 15 aardvark species that are still in existence today.
- Aardvarks are known to dig huge burrows. In addition to its “home burrow,” an adult aardvark digs up many smaller tunnels where it can shelter or rest while hunting for food.
- Aardvarks “chew” with their stomachs. Aardvark stomachs are powerful enough to “chew” their food into an easily digestible form after they’ve swallowed it whole.
Feb 27, 2023 · Aardvarks are also proficient diggers and use their long claws to dig burrows in the ground where they can sleep, hide from predators, and lay their eggs. Protection. Aardvarks are listed as a species of “Least Concern” by the IUCN Red List, meaning they are not threatened with extinction.
- Bob Strauss
- The Name Aardvark Means Earth Pig. Humans have coexisted with aardvarks for tens of thousands of years, but this animal only received its modern name when Dutch colonists landed on the southern tip of Africa in the middle 17th century and noticed its habit of burrowing into the soil (clearly, the indigenous tribes of this region must have had their own name for the aardvark, but that has been lost to history).
- Aadvarks Are the Sole Species of Their Mammalian Order. The 15 or so extant species of aardvarks belong to the mammalian order Tubulidentata, classified under the genus name Orycteropus (Greek for "burrowing foot").
- Aadvarks Are the Size and Weight of Full-Grown Humans. Most people picture aardvarks as being about the size of anteaters, but in fact, these mammals are fairly big—anywhere from 130 to 180 pounds, which puts them smack in the middle of the weight range for full-grown human males and females.
- Aardvarks Dig Enormous Burrows. An animal as big as an aardvark needs a comparably roomy burrow, which explains why the homes of these mammals can measure up to 30 or 40 feet in length.
Jun 30, 2016 · Aardvarks are solitary animals and only come together to mate. They are also nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day. This helps them escape the heat of the day in their cool burrow.
Aardvarks use their long, powerful claws to tear open termite mounds, as well as dig underground burrows in which they sleep and care for their young.
