20 Facts on Aardvarks

1.       The aardvark’s scientific name is Orycteropus afer, which approximately means digging footed from Africa.

2.       The aardvark comes from Africa, and is located mainly in central and southern Africa..

3.       It is a nocturnal, burying mammal.

4.       It part of the order Tubulidentata, and is the only animal from that order still alive today, however prehistoric Tublidentata are known to have existed.

5.       The aardvark is more commonly known as an anteater.

6.       It has only 4 toes on its front feet, as the aardvark has evolved to have no thumbs, but its back feet both have 5 toes.

7.       Aadrvarks normally weigh around 40-60Kg, and are 1m-1.3m in length, however they have been known to grow to up to 2.2m long, including their tail.

8.       Although the aardvark has a thin coat of fur, it has very tough skin, which is its primary form of protection.

9.       Its teeth have no form of enamel coating, so are frequently worn away. The teeth in the pulp cavity are continuously replaced, however the normal incisors and canines found at the front of the mouth are not replaced after they fall out.

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10.   Aardvarks feed primarily on ants and termits, but they also eat aardvark cucumbers, which is the only fruit the eat.

11.   They can eat 50,000 insects in one night, and in 15 seconds they are able to dig 2 feet.

12.   They live in burrows which they dig themselves. Their main burrow, which they use for breeding, can be up to 13m long, and they often have several entrances.

13.   They often change burrows, or change the structure of existing ones. The old burrows are often used by other animals such as African Wild Dogs.

14.   Aardvarks carry their babies for 7 months, and normally only carry one baby at a time. At birth most aardvarks weight around 2kg. After 2 weeks from its birth the baby aardvark is able to venture out from the burrow, 12 weeks after this it can eat termites, and 4 weeks after that the mother weans it from its milk.

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15.   By the age of 6 months a baby aardvark is able to dig its own burrows.

16.   They are eaten mainly by lions, leopards, hunting dogs and pythons.

17.   They run in zigzag patterns to avoid being caught by predators.

18.   They have sharp claws which they use to retaliate; often they lie on their backs and use all four legs to attack.

19.   Their tongues, which are snake-like can be up to 12in long (30.5cm)

20.   Their ears are disproportionally large, and they use them to listen out for predators when they are burrowing for termites.

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