Aardvarks look like a mixture between a very large armadillo without any armor, and a pig. These exceptions include the coastal areas of Namibia, Ivory Coast, and Ghana. They feast upon insects by They eat almost exclusively ants and termites, though they sometimes supplement their diets with other insects like the pupae of scarab beetles. PeerJ, 6, 1-40. [30] Only mothers and young share burrows; however, the aardvark is known to live in small family groups or as a solitary creature. continually. =] The limbs are of moderate length, with the rear legs being longer than the forelegs. Answer:Aardvarks also dig to get food. Aadvarks Are the Sole Species of Their Mammalian Order. An adult aardvark weighs an average of 150lbs and can reach a height of 24 inches. Aardvark holes provide shelter for at least 17 mammal species. Aardvarks are nocturnal; Sometimes aardvarks are called antbears; In Afrikaans, aardvark means Earth Pig; An aardvark can eat 50,000 termites in one sitting! In some areas, mating occurs between April and May, with offspring born in October or November. They eat almost exclusively ants and termi… This is also the place where females will give birth. only emerge from their burrow late at night. They are capable of causing substantial damage to unprotected areas of an attacker. It is sparsely covered with pale yellowish-gray coarse hairs. Ants are more plentiful during the wet season, whilst termites are more common in the dry season. When leaving the burrow at night, they pause at the entrance for about ten minutes, sniffing and listening. The cucumber is the only non-insect food that the aardvark eats. While foraging for food, the aardvark will keep its nose to the ground and its ears pointed forward, which indicates that both smell and hearing are involved in the search for food. Ecosystem engineering through aardvark (Orycteropus afer) burrowing: Mechanisms and effects. [1] They also avoid terrain rocky enough to cause problems with digging. [30] Other animals that use them are hares, mongooses, hyenas, owls, pythons, and lizards. They are not found in Madagascar. Aardvark has a thick and rough skin, protecting this animal from bites of angry ants and termites, which it feeds upon. Aardvarks use their sense of smell and hearing to help locate the insects. The aardvark is nocturnal and is a solitary creature that feeds almost exclusively on ants and termites which it will dig out of their hills using its sharp claws and powerful legs. [22] The head of the aardvark contains many unique and different features. enormous capacity for digging. When these insects move, they can form columns 10–40 metres (33–131 ft) long and these tend to provide easy pickings with little effort exerted by the aardvark. The squadron mascot was adapted from the animal in the comic strip B.C., which the F-4 was said to resemble. If you do spot an antbear in the bush you will notice how it swing its long nose They are also used by herbivores up to Add a photo to this gallery. Digging the compromise: investigating the link They start DIET Aardvarks are insectivores that eat ants and termites. The long, cylindrical, This confusion happens because when it squats it stands on its soles. Hausa magicians make a charm from the heart, skin, forehead, and nails of the aardvark, which they then proceed to pound together with the root of a certain tree. They cover between 2 and 5 kilometres (1.2 and 3.1 mi) per night; however, some studies have shown that they may traverse as far as 30 kilometres (19 mi) in a night. Antbears uses that elongated snout for a keen sense of smell to detect what do aardvarks eat? They will also eat Cucumis humifructus, also known as the aardvark cucumber. Aardvarks are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The name comes from South Africa's Afrikaans language and means âearth pig.â. The 15 or so extant species of aardvarks … They can eat 50,000 to 60,000 ants and termites in one night. The rear limbs have five toes while the front ones have four toes. [5] The hair on the majority of its body is grouped in clusters of 3-4 hairs. acute. Aardvark's diet is a crossword puzzle clue that we have spotted 12 times. [21], The aardvark is vaguely pig-like in appearance. Relevance. [6] The nasal area of the aardvark is another unique area, as it contains ten nasal conchae, more than any other placental mammal. What do aardvarks eat? Its tail is very thick at the base and gradually tapers. The name aardvark—Afrikaans for ‘earth pig’—refers to its piglike face and burrowing habits. Return to Homepage . In this picture of an aardvark by Louise Joubert the first thing you will notice is the long snout with the nose that looks similar to that of a pig. [2][3] It is the only living species of the order Tubulidentata,[4][5] although other prehistoric species and genera of Tubulidentata are known. Adult aardvarks have only cheek teeth at the back of the jaw, and have a dental formula of: 0.0.2-3.30.0.2.3 These remaining teeth are peg-like and rootless and are of unique composition. Main burrows which are used as permanent Copyright 2010-2020 africa-wildlife-detective.com, can eat up to 60 000 ants and termites in one night. In captivity, aardvarks have a lifespan of 23 years. you can see I'm bored. They have also been known to eat underground fruits, probably as a source of water. The large majority of their diet is made up of ants and termites. However, if food supplies become scarce, aardvarks will sometimes eat fruit, such as the aardvark cucumber, and soft-bodied insects to supplement their diets. Aardvark usually closes its nostrils while eating, so that termites and ants cannot enter its nose. Unlike most other insectivores, it has a long pig-like snout, which is used to sniff out food. What do Aardvarks Eat? They require sandy soil, as opposed to rocks, so that they can dig Aaardvarks burrows for shelter, food, protection and raising their offspring. [16], Aardvarks were thought to have declining numbers,[6] however, this is possibly because they are not readily seen. They use their large claws to dig into ant hills and termite mounds and then stick their long, sticky, extensile tongue into the nest or mound to get the insects. Aardvarks can squeal like pigs [5] Temporary sites are scattered around the home range and are used as refuges, while the main burrow is also used for breeding. It also had similarities with its nocturnal missions flown at a very low level employing ordnance that could penetrate deep into the ground. They have bad eyesight, but have excellent senses of smell and hearing, which they use to help find termite nests. Southern African numbers are not decreasing. Aardvark Reproduction. They can eat up to 50,000 insects each night, according to the Wildscreen Arkive. [32], Aardvarks pair only during the breeding season; after a gestation period of seven months,[5] one cub weighing around 1.7–1.9 kilograms (3.7–4.2 lb)[16] is born during May–July. seems to remember the location of these burrows and returns to them if It is a nocturnal animal which means it only shows itself in public during night-time. It contains a thin but complete zygomatic arch. When an aardvark finds any ant or termite nest, it digs open the tunnels of these nests. The aardvarks rear limbs are longer than the front limbs and it has a prominently arched back. Aardvarks dig burrows up to 13 cm long and have numerous little tunnels branching off the main one. Once they locate their food source, aardvarks and anteaters can use their strong front claws to rip into the mound and start lapping up the tasty ants or termites. They It is true that aardvarks do eat ants. Rock ON! Aardvarks eat termites and ants, and will use their strong claws to dig into a termite mound and their long, sticky tongues to catch and eat them. After this period of watchfulness, it will bound out and within seconds it will be 10 metres (33 ft) away. In the US Navy, the squadron VF-114 was nicknamed the Aardvarks, flying F-4s and then F-14s. The only fruit they eat is a type of underground cucumber, known as the aardvark cucumber. Wrapped in a piece of skin and worn on the chest, the charm is said to give the owner the ability to pass through walls or roofs at night. [5] Its salivary glands are highly developed and almost completely ring the neck;[16] their output is what causes the tongue to maintain its tackiness. The time it stands on its soles is when an aardvark squats. The In some areas, mating occurs between April and May, with offspring born in October or November. The mating season of the aardvark varies. It avoids inhaling the dust by sealing the nostrils. Aardvarks are good swimmers. [22] Its keen sense of smell is not just from the quantity of bulbs in the nose but also in the development of the brain, as its olfactory lobe is very developed. Aardvarks eat termites, ants, and one kind of fruit,called an aardvark cucumber. Seventy percent of an aardvark's diet is ants. Their worm-like tongues can actually grow up to 30 cm in length meaning they can reach more termites further into the mound. A baby aardvark is born pink and hairless. They can eat plants and often feed on an African cucumber known as the aardvark cucumber. Gallery. This African animal will dig itself [35] In the first book of the series, Arthur's Nose (1976), he has a long, aardvark-like nose,[36] but in later books, his face becomes more rounded.[37]. Aardvark will eat plants only when its primary source of food is absent. What is the difference between an aardvark and an anteater - they look very similar. An aardvark features as the antagonist in the cartoon The Ant and the Aardvark as well as in the Canadian animated series The Raccoons. [citation needed], Based on fossils, Bryan Patterson has concluded that early relatives of the aardvark appeared in Africa around the end of the Paleocene. entrance for several minutes listening for sounds of potential They eat those for the water. The aardvark is sometimes colloquially called the "African ant bear",[6] "anteater" (not to be confused with the South American anteater), or the "Cape anteater"[6] after the Cape of Good Hope. Fleshy sensory organs on the nasal septum probably detect tiny … [6] When born, the young has flaccid ears and many wrinkles. It eats termite and ants. Each toe has one large nail. Eat ants, termites and underground fruits. Aardvark is an excellent digger. A nocturnal feeder, it subsists on ants and termites, which it will dig out of their hills using its sharp claws and powerful legs. [16] The number of columns is dependent on the size of the tooth, with the largest having about 1,500. They mainly prefer termites however. Once inside the burrow the aardvark blocks the tunnel The old burrows are an important part of the African wildlife scene. [25] Its nose is made up of more turbinate bones than any other mammal, with between 9 and 11, compared to dogs with 4 to 5. The aardvark’s tough skin protects them from the bites of their meal, according to National Geographic, and their nostrils seal up to keep out dust and insects. It Cerebus the Aardvark is a 300-issue comic book series by Dave Sim. Aardvarks are nocturnal, living in burrows during the day and are very rarely seen In addition to ants, Aardvarks also eat a type of fruit called the Aardvark Cucumber Aardvarks can eat up to 50,000 ants in one night A 'Blue Aardvark' was featured in the Pink Panther cartoons Aardvark is known as an omnivore (animal that eats both meat and plants). 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