Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing aardvarks.
With the ears of a donkey, the tail of a rat, and the stature of a domestic pig, one may
be surprised to learn that aardvarks are more closely related to sea cows than warthogs.
Aardvarks are the only living members of their order and descend from an ancient lineage
of hooved animals.
One look at their feet and this becomes apparent.
Aardvarks are burrowing mammals.
They use their strong front feet to dig out dens which they utilize for rest and escaping
predators.
Aardvarks are shy and nocturnal.
They’re rarely seen by humans.
Many people don’t even know they exist!
Some may be familiar with the name because of Arthur.
Though Arthur the Aardvark’s modern depiction leaves one wondering if he’s meant to be
a bear, his original design looked more aardvark-y.
It may still be surprising to learn just how big aardvarks really are, though!
If you had asked me before this episode, I would have guessed an aardvark was about the
size of an armadillo, but that’s too small!
On average, aardvarks stand about two feet (61cm) tall at the shoulders and weigh anywhere
from 90 to 180 pounds (40-80kg)!
If you kneeled down next to an aardvark, you would be approximately eye level with it.
They’re bigger than most dogs and larger, by weight, than many humans!
While aardvarks have a similar face to the iconic anteater, these animals aren’t closely
related.
In fact, aardvarks are more closely related to elephants and hyraxes than to an anteater.
The similarities between these two ant-eating animals is an example of convergent evolution
where two unrelated animals display similar traits.
In this case, a long nose and an even longer tongue for lapping up insects.
Aardvarks specialize in ants and termites, but they also eat scarab beetle grubs, grasshoppers,
and melon-like fruits of the cucumber family that grow underground.
These are aptly named “the aardvark cucumber” and are dependent on aardvarks to eat them
in order to spread their seeds.
Aardvarks live throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa.
They can be found in most habitats but generally avoid the dense, rocky soil of mountainous
regions and the moist soil of rainforests.
They like soft, easy to dig soil they can sink their feet into.
Aardvarks have furry noses that can close while they dig to keep the dirt out.
Their large ears, which may be used for thermoregulation like in elephants, can turn back and seal
out dirt, as well.
Aardvarks reach reproductive maturity around two years of age.
Males don’t stick around after mating, and a female gestates about seven months before
giving birth to a single baby.
The baby spends its first two weeks in its birth den but then begins to venture out with
Mom.
Females, who are smaller than males, may also have a brighter tail than males.
This may help their baby follow them above ground.
The baby begins to eat insects at three months of age and digs its own burrows at six months.
Males part ways with their mothers after their first year, but females may remain another
year while their mother raises another baby.
Outside of mating and raising their young, aardvarks are considered solitary.
They spend their days resting in a burrow.
An aardvark burrow may extend just a few feet up to twenty feet underground!
At night, they forage.
They’ll keep the same burrow for a few days to weeks before setting off to find a new
place to live.
These abandoned burrows provide homes for other animals such as warthogs and jackals
and even some aardvark predators like hyenas.
Other predators to aardvarks include lions and leopards as well as humans.
If they can avoid these predators, they may live to be nearly twenty years old in the
wild.
For more facts on aardvarks, check out the links below.
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