Page 10 - Present Day Wildlife_Float

The Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is a borrowing insectivore, and is the only species in the
genus Orycteropus in the family Orycteropodidae. Although it was once believed to have in-
habited areas of Europe and Asia, the present day Aardvark is found only in the southern part
of Africa. It stands around 60 cm tall and weighs
in at around 80 kg. Its body length is around 2
metres but if you count the length of the tail
which can reach 70 cm this would make it much
longer. Aardvarks have been around for a long
time; fossil records show that several different
species have come and gone over the last 76 mil-
lion years. The present day Aardvark, thought to
be a descendent from one of those extinct spe-
cies, is believed to have appeared some 20 mil-
lion years ago and is the only living species today.

Aardvarks are extremely powerful animals;
it’s on record that one took a mere 15 seconds to
burrow to a depth of 2 metres. Its main charac-
teristics are its high arched back, its long ears
and its long flexible snout. Its four short, but
muscular legs are equipped with toes, five on the
rear foot and four on the front, each toe sprout-
ing a long shovel-like nail or claw, ideal for bur-
rowing. It has very thick protective skin, but the hair on its body, tail and head
is thin. The hair on its legs however, is much longer. Their colouration is nor-
mally a reddish grey, with an off white tail and face. However, due to their
constant burrowing there usually seen the colour of the earth they last dug.

Aardvarks are found across sub-Saharan Africa. Being consummate bur-
rowers they prefer to live where the soil is soft and dry, avoiding hard rocky
areas and swamplands. They create a huge burrow as a primary home which
can stretch 12 to 13 metres underground and have several entry points. They also burrow when
foraging for food and in the area they inhabit they will create many small burrows they use to
rest or take refuge from the weather or predators. They live a reclusive, solitary life, meeting
with others only to mate. They are nocturnal, sleeping during the day, and are rarely seen out in
the daylight hours, preferring the cover of darkness to search for their favourite food; ants and
termites. They are coloured blind and have poor daylight vision, but good night vision and acute
hearing and smell. When foraging for food they cut a zig-zag path through their territory, with
their nose frantically sniffing the ground and their ears erect and constantly listening for any
sign of approaching danger. Finding a termite nest, it digs a hole large enough to insert its snout
allowing it to use its 30cm long sticky tongue; inserting it into the nest and capturing termites
on its sticky surface. Because of the structure of its teeth, it swallows its food whole leaving the
chewing and crushing to its stomach muscles. With the need to chew its food gone, the Aard-
vark can shoot its long sticky tongue in-and-out of the nest in quick succession consuming
thousands of termites. It’s estimated an Aardvark can consume 50,000 termites a night. Of
course the ant and termite fight back attacking the intruder. However, the Aardvark has a thick
and hard protective skin, rendering any attack harmless, and if need be it can close its long
snout making sure nothing can get in.

Aardvarks are exclusively insectivores; however, they do have a liking for one fruit, the
aardvark cucumber, which they eat regularly. Once eaten, the seeds of the fruit are spread,
through defecation, throughout the aardvark’s territory where on the soft soil they grow quickly.
This gives the aardvark a constant supply of cucumbers. With the moisture gained from the
fruit and its high daily consumption of termites and ants the aardvark rarely has to visit a wa-
tering hole, where, predators like lions, hyenas and leopards may lie in wait.