Overview
Rarely seen but unmistakable, the aardvark is one of Africa’s most unusual mammals. Its long ears, pig-like snout, powerful claws and thick tail appear borrowed from several different animals, yet the aardvark belongs to a branch of the mammal family tree all of its own.
Aardvarks spend the day sheltering underground and usually emerge after dark to search for ants and termites. Their powerful forelimbs can break into hard insect nests, while a long, sticky tongue gathers the insects inside. Although aardvarks are widespread across sub-Saharan Africa, their solitary and nocturnal lifestyle makes seeing one in the wild an exceptionally lucky safari encounter.
Behaviour & How to Identify
Aardvarks are mainly solitary and almost entirely nocturnal. They spend daylight hours inside burrows, emerging at night with their ears raised as they listen and sniff for danger and food.
Look for an arched back, a long tapering snout, large upright ears and a thick tail. Their front feet have four powerful, shovel-like claws designed for tearing through compacted earth and termite mounds. The nostrils can close while digging, helping keep out dust and insects.
An aardvark’s eyesight is relatively poor, but its senses of smell and hearing are highly developed. Once it finds an ant nest or termite mound, it digs into it and collects the insects with a sticky tongue that can reach approximately 30 cm in length.
Interesting facts
The aardvark is the only living member of the order Tubulidentata. It has no close living counterpart, making it one of the most distinctive mammals in the world.
Its name means “earth pig” in Afrikaans. Despite its pig-like snout, the aardvark is not closely related to pigs.
An abandoned aardvark burrow can become a home for many other animals. Warthogs, hyenas, mongooses, reptiles, birds and even African wild dogs may use them for shelter or protection.