Aardvark

An aardvark at the Detroit zoo in 2008.

Range map for the aardvark in Africa.

The aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is a medium-sized, burrowing, night-roaming mammal found in central and southern Africa. It is a timid and defenseless animal about the size of a small pig, with a long head, a pig-like snout, and long donkey-like ears. Aardvarks mainly eat ants and termites, which they will dig out of their hills using sharp claws and powerful legs. They also dig to create burrows in which to live and rear young. Aardvarks are such strong diggers that they can burrow themselves into a newly created hole in five minutes. They have been known to dig tunnels large enough for a small man to navigate.

Names

The word aardvark is Afrikaans for "earth-pig". The animal is also colloquially sometimes called "African ant bear", "anteater" (not to be confused with the South American anteaters), or "Cape anteater" after the Cape of Good Hope. The genus name Orycteropus means "burrowing foot", and the name afer refers to Africa. The name of the aardvark's order, Tubulidentata, comes from the tubule-style teeth.

Varieties

Seventeen subspecies of aardvarks have been identified, but differences among them are poorly defined.

Attribution

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