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AARDVARK (Tubulidentata)
This is an unusual mammal that is the only member of its order. It is a
highly specialized ant and termite hunter.
Aardvarks are very distinctive in appearance
AARDVARK Orycteropus afer
Identification The Aardvark’s large size, long, pig-like snout, long,
tubular ears, kangaroo-like tail, stout legs and hunched back make it
unmistakable.
Size Shoulder height 60 cm.
Weight 4 0 –70 kg.
Habitat and Behaviour Aardvarks show a strong preference for
grass and scrub plains, but can be expected wherever their principal
prey – ants and termites – is abundant. The powerful front claws
of Aardvarks are used for tearing into ant and termite colonies, and
the ants are then extracted with the sticky tongue. Aardvarks are
mainly nocturnal and solitary, spending the day in deep and often
extensive burrow systems. There may be several burrows within a
home range. Occupied burrows usually have numerous small flies in
their entrances. A single 2-kg young is born after a 210-day gestation.
Distribution and Status The Aardvark occurs along the Red Sea
coast into Sudan, and in the Sahel belt to southern Mauritania. It can
apparently be found as far north as the Aïr massif in Niger, close to the
Algerian border. Early Egyptian paintings of this species indicate that it
might once have occurred as far north as the Mediterranean.
Conservation Areas None known.