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Aardvark Family
The aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa and is the only living species of the order Tubulidentata, although other prehistoric species and genera of Tubulidentata are known.
Aardvarks: 1 Family, 1 Genus, 1 Specie, 17 subspecies.
(1) Oryceteropus [aardvark, 1 genus, 1 species, 17 subspecies]
Aardvark: Genus: Oryceteropus. Species: afer
The Animal′s Name
The aardvark is sometimes colloquially called the Cape anteater, African ant bear or just anteater. However, it should not be confused with the South American anteater of the mammal order Pilosa, not even being closely related to the South American anteater, despite sharing some characteristics and a superficial resemblance.
Because of its burrowing habits, the name aardvark comes from the Afrikaans word, erdvark which means earth pig or ground pig (aarde: earth/ground, vark: pig).
The scientific genus name Orycteropus means burrowing foot, and the species name afer refers to Africa.
The scientific order name Tubulidentata comes from the tubule-style teeth.
Characteristics
Unlike other insectivores, it has a long pig-like snout, which is used to sniff out food. It roams over most of the southern two-thirds of the African continent, avoiding areas that are mainly rocky.
The aardvark is a nocturnal feeder and subsists on ants and termites, which it will dig out of their hills using its sharp claws and powerful legs. It also digs to create burrows in which to live and rear its young.
Description
The aardvark is vaguely pig-like in appearance, has a stout body, a prominently arched back and is sparsely covered with coarse hairs. The limbs are of moderate length, with the rear legs being longer than the forelegs.
The aardvark is pale yellowish-gray in color and often stained reddish-brown by soil. The aardvark′s coat is thin, and the animal′s primary protection is its tough skin. Its hair is short on its head and tail, however its legs tend to have longer hair.
The greatly elongated head is set on a short, thick neck, and the end of the snout bears a disc, which houses the nostrils.
The front feet have four toes, while the rear feet have five toes. Each toe bears a large, robust nail which is somewhat flattened and shovel-like, and appears to be intermediate between a claw and a hoof.
An aardvark′s weight is typically 60 to 80 kilograms (130 to 180 pounds). It′s length is usually 105 to 130 centimetres (3.5 to 4.3 feet), and can reach lengths of 2.2 metres (7.3 feet) when its tail (which can be up to 70 centimetres (28 inches)) is included. It is 60 centimetres (24 inches) tall at the shoulder, and has a girth of about 100 centimetres (3.3 feet).
Habitat and Range
Aardvarks are found in sub-Saharan Africa, where suitable food (ants and termites) and habitat including savannas, grasslands, woodlands and bushland is available.
They have been documented as high as 3,200 metres (10,500 ft) in Ethiopia. They are present throughout sub-Saharan Africa all the way to South Africa with few exceptions.
These exceptions include the coastal areas of Namibia, Ivory Coast, and Ghana. They are not found in Madagascar.
They spend the daylight hours in dark underground burrows to avoid the heat of the day. The only major habitat that they are not present in is swamp forest, as the high water table precludes digging to a sufficient depth. Also, they avoid terrain rocky enough to cause problems with digging.
Least Concern
It has a conservation status of least concern although its numbers seem to be decreasing.
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