Aardvark

The Aardvark: Africa's Secretive Ecosystem Engineers

The aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is a medium-sized, nocturnal, burrowing mammal found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, renowned for its specialized diet of ants and termites and its extraordinary ability to dig. Despite its pig-like snout and the Afrikaans name meaning "earth pig," the aardvark is not related to pigs at all—it belongs to its own unique mammalian order, Tubulidentata, and is more closely related to elephants, manatees, and hyraxes than to any pig or anteater. As the sole surviving member of its entire order, family, and genus, the aardvark is often called a "living fossil" because its body plan has remained virtually unchanged for tens of millions of years. Built like a living excavator, this remarkable creature can tear into cement-hard termite mounds with its powerful claws, consume up to 50,000 ants and termites in a single night using its long sticky tongue, and disappear underground within minutes when threatened. The aardvark possesses the most sophisticated olfactory system of any mammal, with nine to eleven turbinate bones and nine olfactory bulbs in its nasal area—more than any other mammal on Earth. Its uniquely structured teeth, composed of hundreds of tiny tubes of dentine packed together like a bundle of straws, gave the entire order its name: Tubulidentata, meaning "tube-toothed." Aardvarks are considered keystone ecosystem engineers because their extensive burrow networks—which can reach up to 13 meters in length with multiple entrances—provide critical shelter for dozens of other African species, from warthogs and hyenas to pangolins and pythons. The aardvark also shares a remarkable symbiotic relationship with the aardvark cucumber (Cucumis humifructus), an underground-fruiting plant that depends entirely on aardvarks for seed dispersal and would likely go extinct without them. While currently classified as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), recent research has revealed alarming vulnerability to climate change—severe droughts can collapse insect prey populations, leading to mass starvation events, with studies documenting body temperature drops as extreme as 11.7°C in just eight hours before death, the most substantial change ever recorded in a large mammal. As arid zones expand due to climate change, the future of these enigmatic creatures—and the countless species that depend on their burrows—hangs in uncertain balance.

Name and Scientific Identity

The word "aardvark" comes from Afrikaans, a language derived from Dutch spoken by settlers in southern Africa during the 1600s. It literally translates to "earth pig" or "ground pig" (aarde meaning "earth" and vark meaning "pig, young pig"), describing both the animal's pig-like snout and its remarkable burrowing habits. Dutch settlers gave the animal this name after observing its distinctive appearance and digging behavior.

The scientific name Orycteropus afer carries equally descriptive meaning. The genus name Orycteropus derives from Greek roots: oryktēr (meaning "digger" or "burrower") and pous (meaning "foot"), together meaning "burrowing foot." The species epithet afer is Latin for "African," denoting its native continent. Together, the scientific name means roughly "burrowing foot of Africa," perfectly capturing this creature's defining characteristics. Peter Simon Pallas formally established the species in 1766.

The name of the aardvark's order, Tubulidentata, means "tube-toothed" and refers to one of the animal's most distinctive anatomical features—its uniquely structured teeth composed of hundreds of tiny tubes of dentine. The aardvark holds a unique position in mammalian classification as the only living member of its order, the only living species in its genus, and the only surviving member of its family (Orycteropodidae), making it taxonomically unique among mammals.

The aardvark is sometimes colloquially called the "African ant bear", "anteater" (not to be confused with the South American anteaters, which belong to an entirely different branch of mammals), or the "Cape anteater" after the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. In indigenous African languages, the aardvark bears names that highlight its nocturnal digging habits and ecological role. In Zulu it is called sambane, while in Setswana it is known as thakadu—both names evoke the earth-disturbing nature of this creature. Culturally, the aardvark symbolizes resilience and resourcefulness in various African traditions, and sightings are sometimes considered omens of strength or good fortune.

Evolutionary History and Classification

The aardvark represents one of the most evolutionarily distinct mammals on Earth—a true taxonomic anomaly. It is the sole living species of the order Tubulidentata, the only surviving genus in the family Orycteropodidae, and represents a lineage that has remained virtually unchanged for millions of years. Historically, taxonomists grouped aardvarks with other insect-eating mammals like South American anteaters and pangolins due to superficial similarities. However, modern genetic sequencing has revealed that these resemblances are a classic example of convergent evolution—different animals independently evolving similar adaptations for similar lifestyles without being closely related.

Molecular studies now place the aardvark firmly within Afrotheria, an ancient superorder of mammals that originated in Africa more than 60 million years ago. This remarkable grouping includes remarkably diverse relatives: elephants, sea cows (manatees and dugongs), hyraxes, elephant shrews (also known as sengis), golden moles, and tenrecs. The aardvark's closest living relatives are thus not other "anteaters" but rather elephants and their kin—a relationship that seems improbable given their vastly different appearances but is strongly supported by genetic evidence. The split between this ancestral African lineage and that leading to ungulates, carnivores, and other mammalian orders occurred as much as 90 million years ago.

Based on fossil studies, paleontologist Bryan Patterson concluded that early relatives of the aardvark appeared in Africa around the end of the Paleocene epoch, approximately 54 to 66 million years ago. The ptolemaiidans, a mysterious clade of mammals with uncertain affinities, may actually be stem-aardvarks, either as a sister clade to Tubulidentata or as a grade leading to true tubulidentates. The first unambiguous tubulidentate was probably Myorycteropus africanus, found in Kenyan Miocene deposits. The earliest known member of the modern genus Orycteropus was Orycteropus mauritanicus, discovered in Algerian deposits from the middle Miocene, with an equally old version found in Kenya.

Remarkably, aardvark fossils dating to 5 million years ago have been located not only throughout Africa but also across Europe and the Near East, indicating the order once had a much broader distribution than its current African range. Post-Pleistocene cooling and aridification led to a significant contraction, confining survivors to sub-Saharan Africa. The mysterious Pleistocene Plesiorycteropus from Madagascar was originally thought to be a tubulidentate that descended from ancestors that entered the island during the Eocene. However, a number of subtle anatomical differences coupled with recent molecular evidence now lead researchers to believe that Plesiorycteropus is a relative of golden moles and tenrecs that achieved an aardvark-like appearance independently. Despite their Afrotherian affinities—sharing common ancestry with elephants and hyraxes—aardvarks are notably absent from Madagascar, where no modern or recent fossils of the genus Orycteropus have been found.

In 2025, researchers identified rare fossilized burrow traces on South Africa's Cape coast dating back to the Pleistocene epoch, confirming that aardvarks have been shaping the African landscape for hundreds of thousands of years. Pleistocene records from the Western Cape and Eastern Cape include sites such as Elands Bay Cave, Klasies River, Nelson Bay Cave, and Sea Harvest.

Scientists often describe the aardvark as a "living fossil" because its chromosomes are highly conserved, reflecting much of the early eutherian (placental mammal) genetic arrangement before the divergence of major modern groups. Orycteropus fossils from about 20 million years ago show nearly identical morphological features to those of living aardvarks, demonstrating just how stable this body plan has remained. This genetic stability suggests the aardvark's body plan was so well-suited to its ecological niche that natural selection favored very little change over millions of years.

Up to 18 subspecies have been described based on morphology, though their validity remains debated and requires further taxonomic study. Post-2020 genetic analyses have highlighted low overall genetic diversity in aardvark populations, with arid landscapes acting as barriers to gene flow—isolated populations are becoming genetically distinct faster than those in wetter savannas, raising concerns about inbreeding and reduced adaptive capacity under climate stress.

Physical Description

The aardvark possesses one of the most distinctive body plans in the mammal kingdom—an appearance so unusual that early European explorers struggled to classify it. With its arched back, elongated pig-like snout, rabbit-like ears, and kangaroo-like tail, the aardvark appears to be assembled from parts of several different animals. When the animal was first described to European naturalists, many doubted its reality, thinking it a made-up creature like a jackalope.

Size and Build: Adults typically measure 1.05 to 1.3 meters in head-body length, with a thick, muscular tail adding another 45 to 70 centimeters. Including the tail, total length can reach up to 2.2 meters. They stand approximately 60 centimeters tall at the shoulder and have a girth of about 100 centimeters. Weight varies considerably depending on region, season, and food availability. Various authoritative sources report weight typically ranging from 40 to 65 kilograms, though some individuals can reach up to 82 kilograms, and exceptional specimens weighing up to 100 kilograms have been recorded. Males are generally slightly larger than females, though sexual dimorphism is not pronounced. During the wet season, aardvarks accumulate fat deposits, likely fueled by increased termite consumption. The aardvark is the largest member of the proposed clade Afroinsectiphilia.

Skin and Coat: The aardvark's skin is remarkably thick and tough—nearly armor-like—providing excellent protection against both insect bites, stings, and the abrasive soil through which it digs. This thick hide is the animal's primary defense. The body is stout with a prominently arched back and is sparsely covered with coarse, bristly hairs. The coat is pale yellowish-gray in color, though animals frequently appear reddish-brown due to staining from the soils they burrow through. Hair is shortest on the head and tail but tends to be longer and darker on the legs and body. Hair on most of the body is grouped in clusters of three to four hairs, and the dense hair surrounding the nostrils helps filter particulate matter during digging. Unlike pigs, aardvarks have very thick skin but lack a subcutaneous fat layer.

Body Shape: The aardvark's body is massive and stout with a prominently arched back that gives it a distinctive hunched silhouette. The thick tail is very muscular at its base and gradually tapers to a point, serving as a counterbalance during movement and as an aid in rapid turning. The sides of the face and tail are pale colored, with females typically having lighter coloration and males darker.

Quick Reference Facts

Scientific Name	Orycteropus afer
Order	Tubulidentata
Family	Orycteropodidae
Head-Body Length	1.05–1.30 meters
Tail Length	45–70 centimeters
Total Length	Up to 2.2 meters
Shoulder Height	About 60 centimeters
Weight	40–65 kg (up to 82 kg)
Tongue Length	Up to 30 centimeters
Ear Length	20–24 centimeters
Diet	Ants and termites (myrmecophagous)
Activity	Primarily nocturnal
Gestation	About 7 months (approximately 225 days)
Offspring	Usually 1 per birth
Newborn Weight	1.7–2 kilograms
Lifespan	Up to 18 years (wild); 23–24 years (captivity); up to nearly 30 years recorded
Range	Sub-Saharan Africa
IUCN Status	Least Concern

Head and Sensory Adaptations

The aardvark's greatly elongated head is set on a short, thick neck. The most prominent feature is the long, tubular snout that ends in a disc-shaped structure housing the nostrils. This snout contains a thin but complete zygomatic arch and is supremely adapted for detecting prey underground.

The Extraordinary Nose: The aardvark's nasal area is uniquely adapted among mammals and represents perhaps the most sophisticated olfactory system of any mammal on Earth. It contains nine to eleven turbinate bones (nasal conchae, the scroll-like bones in the nasal cavity)—more than any other placental mammal. For comparison, dogs have only four to five. With a large quantity of turbinate bones, the aardvark has more space for the moist olfactory epithelium, greatly expanding its scent-detection capabilities. The nose also contains nine olfactory bulbs—the highest number known in any mammal—giving the aardvark an extraordinarily acute sense of smell. The olfactory lobe of the brain is correspondingly well-developed. This enables the animal to follow faint odor trails left by ants and termites even when they are hidden underground. When foraging, an aardvark keeps its nose close to the ground, "reading" the soil for signs of insect activity. The sides of the nostrils are thick with hair. The tip of the snout is highly mobile and is moved by modified mimetic muscles. Fleshy sensory organs (tentacles) on the nasal septum probably have sensory functions, though it is uncertain whether they are olfactory or vibratory in nature. These structures can also seal the nostrils shut during digging to prevent dust inhalation and may help detect tiny underground movements.

Hearing: The ears are another striking feature, being disproportionately large and rabbit-like in appearance, reaching 20 to 24 centimeters in length. They can move independently and fold flat against the head to prevent dirt from entering during burrowing. These large, independently movable ears pick up distant sounds and can detect the faint movements of insects inside mounds. When nervous, an aardvark may freeze and listen intently before moving again. This acute sense of hearing protects it from being surprised by predators and helps it monitor for approaching danger.

Vision: The aardvark's small eyes are not built for sharp daylight vision, and they have long been described as having poor eyesight. The eyes are set far back on the head, reflecting the aardvark's limited reliance on vision. For many years, the retina was thought to contain only rod cells, making aardvarks well-suited for low-light conditions but providing poor daytime vision. However, research published in 2024–2025 confirmed that contrary to earlier claims of an all-rod retina, aardvarks possess a small population of cone photoreceptors, though many cones contain both pigment types (dual pigment cones), resulting in poor color discrimination. Their eyes have a reflective tapetum lucidum (a choroidal tapetum fibrosum), a feature that enhances night vision by reflecting light back through the retina. In front of this reflective layer, the retinal pigment epithelium is unpigmented. The relatively low rod density and hence relatively thin retina may be related to the fact that the aardvark retina is avascular, and its oxygen and nutrient supply must come from the choriocapillaris by diffusion. While vision is their weakest sense, it functions well enough for nocturnal navigation. Aardvarks rely primarily on smell and hearing rather than sight.

Touch and Vibration: While digging, an aardvark presses its snout against the ground as if sensing vibrations. The fleshy sensory organs on the nasal septum can seal the nostrils while digging to prevent dust inhalation and may also help detect tiny underground movements.

Limbs and Digging Adaptations

The aardvark's limbs are designed for powerful excavation and represent a masterpiece of evolutionary adaptation. The limbs are of moderate length, with the rear legs being longer than the forelegs. The front feet have four toes (having lost the pollex, or "thumb"), while the rear feet retain all five toes. Each toe bears a large, robust nail that is somewhat flattened and shovel-like, appearing intermediate between a claw and a hoof—resembling spades that can tear open hard soil and even break into cement-hard termite mounds.

Whereas the aardvark is considered digitigrade (walking on its toes), it appears at times to be plantigrade (walking on the soles of its feet). This confusion happens because when it squats it stands on its soles. The forearm contains an unusually stout ulna and radius, providing the structural strength needed for rapid digging. A contributing characteristic to the burrow digging capabilities of aardvarks is an endosteal tissue called compacted coarse cancellous bone (CCCB). The stress and strain resistance provided by CCCB allows aardvarks to create their extensive burrow systems, ultimately leading to a favorable environment for plants and a variety of animals.

These adaptations allow an aardvark to dig through hard, compacted soil at remarkable speed—reportedly digging up to 0.6 meters in just 15 seconds (about 2 feet in 15 seconds). Aardvarks are among the fastest-digging mammals on Earth, capable of disappearing underground in as little as five minutes when threatened.

The Remarkable Teeth of Tubulidentata

Aardvark teeth are so unusual that they gave the entire order its name—Tubulidentata, meaning "tube teeth." This dental structure is unique among mammals and represents one of the most distinctive characteristics setting aardvarks apart from all other animals.

Unlike most mammals, adult aardvarks lack incisors and canines at the front of the jaw. They are born with conventional deciduous (baby) incisors and canines, but these fall out early and are never replaced. Adult aardvarks retain only cheek teeth (premolars and molars) at the back of the jaw—typically 20 peg-like teeth arranged as 14 upper and 12 lower jaw molars. The dental formula for adults is: 0/0, 0/0, 2-3/2, 3/3.

The remaining teeth have an extraordinary internal structure unlike any other mammal. Instead of having a central pulp cavity covered with dentin and enamel like most mammalian teeth, each aardvark tooth consists of hundreds of thin, hexagonal, upright, parallel tubes of vasodentin (a modified form of dentine) packed together like a bundle of straws and held together by cementum. The number of these tubules depends on tooth size, with the largest teeth containing approximately 1,500 individual tubules. This unique structure gave rise to the name "Tubulidentata."

Aardvark teeth lack the hard enamel coating found in most mammals, and they are rootless. Because these teeth continuously grow and wear away throughout the animal's life, the aardvark never runs out of grinding surfaces. Because the teeth are built for grinding rather than cutting, aardvarks do not chew their food in the conventional sense. Instead, they swallow insects largely whole. A muscular pyloric region in their stomach acts as a gizzard to mechanically grind swallowed food, rendering conventional chewing unnecessary.

Scientists believe that aardvarks retained functional cheek teeth primarily to process the tough, leathery skin of the aardvark cucumber (Cucumis humifructus), the only fruit they eat. This may explain why the aardvark is the only mammal feeding on ants and termites that has retained functional cheek teeth—no other myrmecophage on Earth has a functional set of teeth.

Diet: Masters of Insect Hunting

Aardvarks are myrmecophagous (a term meaning they specialize in eating ants and termites), making them highly effective controllers of termite and ant populations. A single aardvark can consume an astonishing 50,000 insects in one night—a truly remarkable feat of insectivory.

Hunting Techniques: The aardvark's hunting strategy combines extraordinary senses with powerful digging ability. They emerge from their burrows in the late afternoon or shortly after sunset and travel considerable distances while foraging—typically 10 to 30 kilometers per night. While foraging, aardvarks amble along familiar paths in a characteristic zigzag pattern, keeping their nose to the ground and ears pointed forward, pausing frequently to sniff and press their snout against the ground. This behavior indicates that both smell and hearing are involved in the search for food.

During a foraging period, aardvarks will stop to dig a V-shaped trench with their forefeet and then sniff it profusely as a means to explore their location. When a concentration of ants or termites is detected, the aardvark digs into the nest with its powerful front claws, keeping its long ears upright to listen for predators. The nostrils are squeezed shut to keep out flying dust and biting insects. The long, ribbon-like, sticky tongue—extending up to 30 centimeters from the small mouth—is then used to lap up insects rapidly. The tongue is coated with thick, sticky saliva produced by highly developed (enlarged) salivary glands that nearly encircle the neck. Insects adhere to this tongue like rice to glue and are swept into the mouth in rapid succession.

Prey Preferences: Studies in the Nama Karoo region of South Africa revealed that ants, particularly Anoplolepis custodiens (the pugnacious ant), were the predominant prey year-round, followed by termites like Trinervitermes trinervoides. In winter, when ant numbers decline, aardvarks shift toward eating more termites, often feeding on epigeal mounds coinciding with the presence of winged reproductive termites (alates) to meet their nutritional requirements. Research in the Kalahari found that aardvarks feed predominantly on northern harvester termites (Hodotermes mossambicus). They tend to avoid African driver ants and red ants.

Aardvarks can open a cement-hard termite mound in minutes with their powerful claws. Their thick skin protects them from bites and stings, and they can seal their nostrils shut to keep out flying dust and insects. They feed quickly at each site rather than lingering too long, which may help avoid soldier insects that mount coordinated defenses. In a single night of feeding sessions lasting from five seconds to two minutes per stop, an aardvark can attack approximately 200 insect hills.

Foraging Strategy: Due to their stringent diet requirements, aardvarks require large ranges to survive. Aardvarks usually do not repeat a foraging route for five to eight days, apparently allowing termite and ant nests time to recover before feeding on them again. This sustainable foraging behavior helps ensure a continuous food supply.

Aardvarks rarely drink water directly, obtaining most of their required moisture from the insects they eat. However, they will drink water where available.

The Aardvark Cucumber: A Unique Symbiosis

Uniquely among myrmecophagous mammals, the aardvark is the only known disperser of the aardvark cucumber (Cucumis humifructus), also known as the aardvark pumpkin. This is the only fruit—and the only plant matter—eaten by aardvarks. The relationship represents one of the most specialized plant-animal mutualisms in nature and one of nature's most remarkable symbiotic relationships.

Cucumis humifructus is a prostrate vine up to 7 meters in length, closely related to cultivated cucumbers and watermelons. Unlike other cucumbers, this plant exhibits a rare phenomenon called geocarpy—it is the only Cucumis species that produces subterranean (underground) fruit. The vines of the plant initially develop their flowers above ground, but then after pollination, the plant pushes the fertilized flowers underground using specialized tendrils (most cucurbits have a single tendril at each node, but C. humifructus has 2 to 8 to give it the leverage needed to bury the young fruit). The fruit then grows and ripens at a depth of 30 to 90 centimeters below the surface, without sunlight. The fruit develops a tough, leathery skin that is water-resistant and can remain intact for months without decay.

Because the fruit ripens at such depth, the seeds cannot germinate without assistance—they are buried too deeply and the tough skin cannot be opened by most animals. Only the aardvark, with its exceptional sense of smell to detect the buried fruit and powerful claws to excavate it, can access this food source. The aardvark digs up and opens the fruit to eat the watery flesh for its moisture content, which is crucial in arid environments where water sources are scarce.

The seeds pass through the aardvark's digestive tract unharmed and are deposited in its dung. Aardvarks have the peculiar habit of burying their feces near their burrows. This provides the seeds with loose, fertile soil and the nutrients essential for germination. Most aardvark cucumber plants are found in old aardvark feces sites or close to their den entrances. The nutrient-poor sandy soils where the aardvark cucumber occurs may result in seedlings requiring the additional nutrients and fertilizer provided by aardvark dung.

Without aardvarks, Cucumis humifructus would likely face extinction, as no other animal can fulfill its seed dispersal requirements. Research published in 2025 using camera-trap footage and scent analysis confirmed this unusual relationship and noted that the aardvark cucumber has become very rare in some parts of Africa, making it vulnerable on account of its annual lifecycle combined with its dependence on a declining mammal species for establishing each new generation.

This plant may be the reason why the aardvark is the only mammal feeding on ants and termites that has retained functional cheek teeth—to process the tough skin of the cucumber.

Burrows: Underground Engineering

Aardvarks are among Africa's most important and prolific burrow builders, earning them recognition as ecosystem engineers—animals that physically modify habitats in ways that significantly benefit many other species. No other animal in Africa creates as many large underground burrows as the aardvark. They dig for three primary purposes: to access food, to create shelter, and to escape predators.

They create three main types of excavations:

Foraging holes: Shallow excavations made while hunting for insects.

Temporary refuges: Scattered across their home range for emergency protection from predators and temperature extremes.

Permanent burrows: Complex tunnel systems used for breeding and sleeping. These can be 2–3 meters long on average, but extensive systems may reach up to 13 meters in length with multiple entrances (sometimes up to eight) and several sleeping chambers. Burrows used for raising offspring tend to be longer, sometimes up to 12 meters, and some have been found up to 6 meters deep. These burrows can be large enough for a person to enter.

Burrows provide stable temperatures underground, protection from the sun's heat, and security from predators. When entering, aardvarks pause at the entrance for several minutes, sniffing and listening for danger, then bound out and sprint approximately 10 meters before beginning to forage.

Aardvarks frequently dig new burrows and abandon old ones, often changing the layout of their home burrow regularly—this behavior creates a shifting landscape of underground shelters across their range. The aardvark's constant excavation activities help aerate the ground, redistribute nutrients, and create favorable conditions for plant growth.

Burrow entrances are often blocked with soil, leaving only a very small opening at the top for ventilation. Aardvarks have even been known to sleep in recently excavated ant nests, which serve as additional protection.

Ecosystem Engineer: Why Other Animals Depend on Aardvarks

The aardvark is classified as a keystone species—an animal whose impact on the environment is disproportionately large relative to its abundance. Their burrows are critical housing for a vast array of African wildlife. When aardvarks abandon these structures, they provide essential shelter for dozens of other African species.

Documented occupants of abandoned aardvark burrows include:

Warthogs
Porcupines
Jackals
Hyenas
African wild dogs
Black-footed cats
Mongooses
Hedgehogs
Ground squirrels
Meerkats
Bats
Pangolins (including Temminck's pangolin, which relies entirely on aardvark burrows rather than digging its own)
Various snakes (including pythons)
Lizards and other reptiles
Amphibians
Numerous bird species (including the ant-eating chat and owls)
Hares

These burrows serve multiple functions for secondary occupants: shelter from extreme temperatures (both heat and cold), protection from predators, safe denning sites for raising young, and escape routes.

Research from 2024–2025 has highlighted aardvark burrows as critical sites for "One Health" studies because so many different species commingle in these underground spaces, potentially serving as transmission points for vectors like ticks and fleas. This makes them important sites for understanding wildlife disease transmission.

If aardvark populations decline significantly, the consequences would cascade through African ecosystems. Many species that cannot dig their own burrows would lose essential refuge from heat, cold, and predators—potentially threatening their survival as well. The Temminck's pangolin, itself threatened, is particularly vulnerable as it relies entirely on aardvark burrows.

Aardvarks also provide indirect benefits to humans by reducing termite populations that might otherwise damage crops and wooden structures. They increase soil aeration through their digging activities and support broader biodiversity through their role as ecosystem engineers.

Distribution and Habitat

Aardvarks are native to sub-Saharan Africa, with a current distribution spanning from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, and extending southward through countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and into South Africa, including the Cape of Good Hope. Their range covers approximately the southern two-thirds of the African continent.

They inhabit a diverse range of environments including savannas, grasslands, open woodlands, scrublands, bushlands, thickets, and even rainforests—anywhere there is sufficient food (ants and termites) and digging-friendly soil. They tend to avoid dense rainforests of West and Central Africa, extreme arid zones like the Sahara Desert and Namib Desert along the southwestern coast, and terrain that is too rocky for burrowing or where a high water table would flood burrows. The only major habitat type where they are not present is swamp forest, as the high water table precludes digging to a sufficient depth. They have been documented at elevations as high as 3,200 meters in Ethiopia.

The key requirements for aardvark habitat are sufficient populations of ants and termites for food, soil suitable for digging, and areas not prone to flooding. Within a habitat type, aardvarks are found mostly in flat or gently sloping areas.

Historically, the aardvark's range was considerably broader during the Pleistocene epoch, with fossil evidence indicating presence in parts of Europe, Asia, the Mediterranean region, the Near East, and even as far east as Pakistan. Post-Pleistocene cooling and aridification led to a significant contraction, confining the species to sub-Saharan Africa.

No comprehensive global population estimate exists for aardvarks because of their nocturnal and secretive habits. Local densities in optimal savanna habitats vary considerably. Studies in the Karoo region of South Africa estimated densities of approximately 0.2 to 0.8 individuals per square kilometer, or roughly 8 animals per 1,000 hectares (8 animals per 10 square kilometers). Home ranges typically vary between 1 and 5 square kilometers (200 to 500 hectares), with males often occupying larger territories than females due to greater roaming tendencies.

Daily Life and Activity Patterns

Aardvarks are primarily nocturnal, typically emerging from their burrows in the late afternoon or shortly after sunset to forage. Typical activity spans 6 to 8 hours per night depending on season and conditions. In non-drought periods, their activity peaks during the early night hours, reflecting a strong circadian rhythm adapted to avoid daytime heat and predators.

During the day, aardvarks sleep curled into a tight ball in their underground burrows, where temperatures remain stable. They block the entrance to their burrow with soil, leaving only a very small opening at the top for ventilation. When leaving their burrow, aardvarks stand motionless at the entrance for several minutes, sniffing and listening for danger. After this period of watchfulness, they bound out of the hole, and within seconds are 10 meters away, then proceed to forage for food.

However, under environmental stress—such as drought-induced food scarcity—aardvarks may shift to partial or full diurnal (daytime) activity, emerging up to 8 hours earlier and foraging during daylight to compensate for reduced nocturnal prey availability. This behavioral plasticity, while helpful for finding food, exposes them to higher temperatures, increased predation risk, and greater energy expenditure. Research in the Kalahari using biologgers documented that during severe drought, starving aardvarks lost the ability to regulate their body temperature effectively, their activity shifted from nocturnal to diurnal mode, and some were observed sun-basking in the morning outside burrows—presumably to increase body temperature through an external energy source and conserve internal energy stores. Many of these animals ultimately died of starvation and heat stress.

Even under normal conditions, aardvarks may occasionally emerge during the day to sun themselves, particularly during colder months.

Social Behavior

Aardvarks are predominantly solitary animals. Adults usually travel and forage alone, only coming together to mate. They may tolerate others nearby when food is abundant, and in areas with high aardvark density, 2–3 individuals may share a single large burrow. Home ranges of individuals overlap, but aggression between individuals is rare and ranges are defended passively. Males tend to wander more, while females typically remain in a consistent home range.

Communication: Communication is subtle and relies heavily on chemical signaling. Both males and females possess musk-secreting glands on their elbows, hips, and anal region, which produce strong-smelling secretions used to mark territory, convey individual identity, and help locate conspecifics. Male aardvarks have genitals that secrete a powerful musk. These glandular outputs likely help aardvarks avoid encounters with one another given their solitary nature. When two animals meet (male/female), they spend a short time sniffing each other, especially around the base of the tail, before moving on separately. If sexual interest is shown, the interaction may last longer. Unlike many mammals, aardvarks do not exhibit elaborate urine spraying for mate attraction or territorial demarcation.

Vocalizations: Aardvarks are generally quiet animals. While foraging, they make soft grunting sounds. Louder grunts are emitted when startled or rushing toward a burrow for safety. In extreme fear or distress, they may produce high-pitched bleats—a rare but distinctive alarm call.

Other Communication: Tactile communication is prominent in familial bonds, particularly between mothers and young, where gentle nuzzling reinforces attachment during nursing. Due to poor eyesight limited to rod-based night vision, visual displays are largely absent, and aardvarks rely on touch, smell, and sound for interactions.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Aardvarks exhibit a polygynous mating system (a mating system where males mate with multiple females), meaning males seek out and mate with multiple females within their territories, while females typically mate with a single male per breeding period. The sexes associate only during breeding periods. Males locate receptive females primarily through powerful odors secreted from genital glands.

Breeding Season: Breeding occurs year-round across the species' range but peaks during the wet season when food availability is higher—typically October to November in northern Africa and May to July in southern Africa.

Gestation and Birth: Gestation lasts approximately 7 months (about 225 days). Females give birth to a single offspring (rarely twins) in underground burrows. Newborns weigh approximately 1.7 to 2 kilograms and are born hairless with soft, wrinkled, pinkish skin, flaccid ears, and their eyes are already open at birth. The claws are already well developed at birth, highlighting the importance of digging ability.

Development: The baby remains in the burrow for the first two weeks of life, protected by its mother. When nursing, the infant will nurse off each teat in succession. After two weeks, the skin folds disappear; after three weeks, the ears can be held upright. Body hair begins growing at 5–6 weeks.

The young aardvark is able to leave the burrow and accompany its mother on foraging trips after only two weeks. It begins eating termites at nine weeks and is weaned between three and four months (by about 14–16 weeks). Juveniles become capable of digging their own burrows at six months of age—a critical survival skill. Young aardvarks often remain with the mother until the next mating season, becoming independent at about six months. Males tend to disperse farther from their mothers, while young females may remain nearby.

Sexual Maturity and Lifespan: Sexual maturity is reached at approximately two years of age. In the wild, aardvarks may live up to 18 years, though they face threats from habitat loss, agriculture, bushmeat hunting, and secondary poisoning from insecticides that deplete their prey. In captivity, with protection from these hazards, longevity can reach 23–24 years, with some individuals living nearly 30 years.

Predators and Defense

Aardvarks are hunted by large African predators, including lions, leopards, hyenas, African wild dogs, and pythons (especially targeting young animals). Their primary defense is escape: when threatened away from a burrow, they run in a zigzag pattern and dive into the nearest burrow or dig a new one rapidly—an aardvark can dig its way out of sight in as little as five minutes.

When a predator attempts to dig them out of their burrow, aardvarks rapidly move soil to block the tunnel behind themselves. They may also dig out of the side of the tunnel, placing fresh soil between themselves and their predator, or turn around and attack with their claws.

If cornered and unable to flee or burrow, an aardvark will fight using its formidable front claws, its powerful whipping tail, and its shoulders. They may also roll onto their back to slash with all four feet. They are capable of causing substantial damage to unprotected areas of an attacker.

Despite their heavy bodies and digging-adapted claws, aardvarks are surprisingly strong swimmers and have been known to cross rivers to escape predators or find new territory.

Aardvarks have also been known to sleep in recently excavated ant nests, which serve as additional protection. Despite these defenses, aardvarks generally avoid direct conflict whenever possible, relying on their acute hearing and cautious behavior when exiting burrows to prevent predator encounters.

Conservation Status and Threats

The aardvark is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. This designation reflects the species' wide geographic distribution across sub-Saharan Africa and its presence in many protected areas. The most recent IUCN assessment (2014) indicated an unknown population trend, noting that while there are no definitive counts because of their nocturnal and secretive habits, numbers seem stable overall.

However, "Least Concern" does not mean "no concern." Aardvark populations have experienced local declines and extirpations in some regions, particularly in high-human-density areas and parts of West, Central, and Eastern Africa.

The primary threats to aardvarks include:

Habitat loss and fragmentation: Agriculture, road building, urban expansion, deforestation, and conversion of savanna and woodland to cropland destroy burrows and foraging grounds.

Hunting and poaching: Aardvarks are hunted for meat (bushmeat), which reportedly resembles pork. Body parts are also used in traditional medicine and for making curios such as bracelets and charms from claws, teeth, and skin. The teeth are believed to prevent various illnesses.

Human-wildlife conflict: Aardvark burrows can damage farm infrastructure—roads, dams, fences, and equipment—and create holes that livestock may step into, leading to retaliatory persecution by farmers.

Secondary poisoning: Insecticides used in agriculture can deplete ant and termite populations and poison aardvarks that consume contaminated prey.

Climate change: Perhaps the most insidious emerging threat (discussed in detail in the following section).

Conservation efforts include community-based programs that work with local farmers to mitigate human-aardvark conflict, education about the species' ecological importance, and research initiatives using camera traps and social media records to better understand distribution and ecology. Researchers increasingly use verified social media photographs and camera traps to study aardvark distribution and behavior due to their secretive nocturnal nature.

Climate Change: An Emerging Crisis

Cutting-edge research from 2017–2024 has raised serious alarms regarding aardvark vulnerability to climate change, particularly in arid regions like the Kalahari. The southern Kalahari, where long-term studies have been conducted, is the hottest and most arid region where aardvarks occur, and it is becoming increasingly warmer and drier as climate change progresses.

Research Findings: Studies using biologgers (miniature sensors implanted into aardvarks by wildlife veterinarians) have revealed devastating impacts of drought on aardvark populations. During droughts, termite populations collapse when vegetation dies back, depriving aardvarks of food. The termites and ants on which aardvarks depend—not just for food but also for water—cannot survive the heat and aridity of changing climates.

Starving aardvarks lose the ability to regulate their body temperature effectively. Body temperature records revealed that aardvarks normally maintain homeothermy (stable body temperature between 35.4–37.2°C), but heterothermy increased progressively during drought, with declining troughs in the nychthemeral (day-night) rhythm of body temperature reaching as low as 25°C before death, likely due to starvation.

Activity patterns shift dramatically from nocturnal to diurnal as aardvarks attempt to conserve energy. In a desperate attempt to increase body temperature through an external energy source and conserve internal energy stores, some aardvarks were observed sun-basking outside burrows in the morning. However, these energy-saving mechanisms were not always sufficient to ensure survival.

Mortality Events: During one study period in the Kalahari, 16 aardvarks at a single site died during a severe summer drought—including 5 of the 6 implanted study animals plus 11 other aardvarks at the study site. One aardvark experienced a body temperature drop of 11.7°C in just 8 hours—the most substantial temperature change ever recorded in a large mammal—with its body temperature dropping to a minimum of 24°C.

Future Implications: While droughts are part of typical climate patterns, this research indicates that aardvarks are not sufficiently adaptable to cope with the increasing frequency and intensity of drought conditions predicted by climate models. As climate change brings more frequent droughts and heat waves, aardvark ranges may shrink significantly, particularly in already arid regions. The continued monitoring of the timing of aardvark sightings—particularly increased daytime activity—may provide a useful tool for detecting the potential threat of climate change to aardvark survival.

The concern extends beyond aardvarks themselves. As ecosystem engineers, their decline would have cascading effects throughout African ecosystems. Many species of African birds, mammals, and reptiles that cannot dig their own burrows use aardvark burrows for shelter, reproduction, and predator avoidance. Without aardvarks, they would have no refuge.

Aardvarks and Humans

Aardvarks occupy a curious place in human culture. Their unusual appearance—combining features resembling pigs, rabbits, and kangaroos—has made them subjects of fascination in stories and pop culture worldwide.

In Popular Culture: The titular character of the animated television series Arthur, shown in more than 180 countries, is an aardvark. The supersonic fighter-bomber F-111/FB-111 was nicknamed "the Aardvark" because of its long nose and its nocturnal, low-level mission profile. Well-known in English-speaking countries due to its being the first animal in the dictionary, the aardvark otherwise is not well-known outside of areas in which it resides.

In African Traditions: In African tribes, aardvarks are seen as very important because people use the animal's body parts for various magical-medicinal reasons. Some body parts are used for charms—wrapped in skin and worn on the chest, aardvark charms are said in some cultures to give the wearer the ability to pass through walls at night. Some tribes make bracelets from aardvark teeth as good luck charms, and the teeth are believed to prevent various illnesses.

Ancient Connections: The ancient Egyptian god Set is sometimes depicted with the head of an unidentified animal that scholars have noted resembles an aardvark.

Common Misconceptions: People sometimes mistakenly call aardvarks "anteaters," but true anteaters live exclusively in the Americas and belong to an entirely different branch of mammals (family Myrmecophagidae). The similarities between aardvarks and anteaters are a result of convergent evolution.

Benefits to Humans: Despite occasional conflict with farmers over burrow damage, aardvarks provide indirect benefits by reducing termite populations that might otherwise damage crops and wooden structures. They also increase soil aeration through their digging activities and support broader biodiversity through their role as ecosystem engineers. The best way to understand the aardvark is as an essential, quiet nighttime worker that shapes the African landscape from below.

Most Interesting Fun Facts

The aardvark is the only living member of its entire order (Tubulidentata), making it one of the most evolutionarily isolated and distinctive mammals on Earth.

Its tongue can extend up to 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) and is coated in extremely sticky saliva, allowing it to capture up to 50,000 insects in a single night.

Aardvark teeth are unlike any other mammal's: they lack enamel, have no roots, consist of hexagonal tubes of dentine packed together like a bundle of straws, and grow continuously throughout the animal's life. A single tooth can contain up to 1,500 tiny tubules.

The nasal area of an aardvark contains 9–11 turbinate bones—more than any other placental mammal—and nine olfactory bulbs—the most of any mammal—giving it one of the most powerful senses of smell in the animal kingdom.

Aardvarks can pinch their nostrils completely shut while digging to keep out dust and biting insects.

They can dig approximately 0.6 meters in just 15 seconds and can disappear underground in as little as five minutes when threatened, making them among the fastest-digging mammals on Earth.

Aardvark burrows can reach up to 13 meters long with multiple entrances and are used by dozens of other African species after the aardvark moves on, making them critical ecosystem engineers.

The aardvark cucumber (Cucumis humifructus), a fruit that grows underground, depends entirely on aardvarks for seed dispersal—without aardvarks, this plant species would likely go extinct.

Despite their pig-like appearance, aardvarks are more closely related to elephants, manatees, and hyraxes than to pigs or anteaters.

During severe drought, aardvarks may shift from nocturnal to daytime activity—a behavioral change that often signals they are starving and in poor body condition.

One aardvark's body temperature dropped 11.7°C in just 8 hours during a drought—the most extreme temperature fluctuation ever recorded in a large mammal.

Aardvarks are excellent swimmers and have been known to cross rivers to escape predators or find new territory.

A young aardvark can dig its own burrow by just six months of age.

Baby aardvarks are born hairless with eyes open and already possess well-developed claws, ready for a life of digging.

Aardvarks have been documented at elevations as high as 3,200 meters in Ethiopia.

The aardvark's muscular stomach functions like a bird's gizzard, grinding up swallowed insects since the animal does very little chewing.

Research published in 2024–2025 confirmed that aardvarks have a reflective tapetum lucidum in their eyes, enhancing their night vision.

Fossilized aardvark burrows on South Africa's Cape coast date back to the Pleistocene epoch, showing these animals have shaped African landscapes for hundreds of thousands of years.

Scientists are now studying aardvark burrows as "One Health" sites because the many species that share them may provide insights into wildlife disease transmission.

The ancient Egyptian god Set is sometimes depicted with an aardvark-like head.

Genetically, the aardvark is considered a "living fossil" because its chromosomes have changed very little from the ancestral mammalian arrangement over tens of millions of years—Orycteropus fossils from about 20 million years ago show nearly identical features to living aardvarks.

Scientists increasingly use camera traps and verified social media photographs to study aardvark distribution and behavior because they are so secretive and nocturnal.

Temminck's pangolin, an endangered species, relies entirely on aardvark burrows rather than digging its own.

The titular character of the animated television series Arthur, shown in over 180 countries, is an aardvark.

The supersonic fighter-bomber F-111 was nicknamed "the Aardvark" because of its long nose and nocturnal mission profile.

Trivia Questions and Answers

1. Q: What is the aardvark's scientific name?
A: Orycteropus afer, meaning "burrowing foot of Africa."

2. Q: What does the word "aardvark" mean, and from which language does it come?
A: "Aardvark" means "earth pig" or "ground pig" in Afrikaans.

3. Q: Why is the aardvark's order called Tubulidentata?
A: Because its teeth have a unique tube-like internal structure made of hundreds of dentine tubules packed together like a bundle of straws.

4. Q: What do aardvarks eat most of the time?
A: Mostly termites and ants—they are myrmecophagous (ant and termite specialists) and can consume up to 50,000 insects in a single night.

5. Q: Is an aardvark closely related to South American anteaters?
A: No. They look similar because of convergent evolution, but they are not close relatives. Aardvarks are more closely related to elephants, manatees, and hyraxes (all part of the superorder Afrotheria).

6. Q: How many turbinate bones does an aardvark have in its nasal area?
A: Nine to eleven—more than any other placental mammal. For comparison, dogs have only four to five.

7. Q: How many olfactory bulbs does an aardvark have?
A: Nine olfactory bulbs—the most of any mammal—giving it an exceptionally keen sense of smell.

8. Q: How long is an aardvark's pregnancy?
A: About 7 months (approximately 225 days).

9. Q: How many babies does an aardvark usually have at a time?
A: Usually one (twins are rare).

10. Q: At what age can a young aardvark dig its own burrow?
A: About six months of age.

11. Q: What is an "ecosystem engineer," and why is the aardvark considered one?
A: An ecosystem engineer is an animal that physically modifies habitats in ways that benefit other species. Aardvarks do this by digging extensive burrows that many other animals later use for shelter, protection from predators, and raising young.

12. Q: What unique plant depends entirely on aardvarks for its reproduction?
A: The aardvark cucumber (Cucumis humifructus), which grows underground and relies on aardvarks to dig it up, eat it, and disperse its seeds through their buried feces.

13. Q: What behavioral change indicates an aardvark is experiencing food stress during drought?
A: Shifting from nocturnal to daytime (diurnal) activity—emerging earlier to conserve energy by basking in sunlight instead of using internal energy to stay warm.

14. Q: What is the aardvark's current conservation status according to the IUCN?
A: Least Concern, though local populations face threats from habitat loss, hunting, and climate change.

15. Q: How long can an aardvark's tongue extend?
A: Up to 30 centimeters (about 12 inches).

16. Q: Can aardvarks swim?
A: Yes. Despite their heavy bodies and digging-adapted claws, aardvarks are surprisingly strong swimmers and have been observed crossing rivers.

17. Q: Which group of mammals (superorder) do aardvarks belong to?
A: Afrotheria—an ancient African clade that also includes elephants, manatees, hyraxes, elephant shrews, golden moles, and tenrecs.

18. Q: How fast can an aardvark dig?
A: About 0.6 meters (2 feet) in just 15 seconds.

19. Q: Why do aardvark teeth differ from the teeth of most other mammals?
A: They lack enamel, have no roots, are made of vertical dentine tubules held together by cementum, and grow continuously throughout the animal's life.

20. Q: How long can aardvark burrows be?
A: Up to 13 meters long with multiple entrances and several sleeping chambers. Some burrows have been found up to 6 meters deep.

21. Q: What is the most extreme body temperature change ever recorded in a large mammal?
A: An aardvark in the Kalahari experienced an 11.7°C drop in body temperature within 8 hours during a drought, with its temperature dropping to 24°C.

22. Q: Why might the aardvark be the only ant-eating mammal that has retained functional cheek teeth?
A: Scientists believe aardvarks retained teeth primarily to process the tough, leathery skin of the aardvark cucumber, the only fruit they eat.

23. Q: What endangered animal relies entirely on aardvark burrows for shelter?
A: Temminck's pangolin, which does not dig its own burrows.

24. Q: At what elevation have aardvarks been documented in Ethiopia?
A: As high as 3,200 meters above sea level.

25. Q: What ancient Egyptian god is sometimes depicted with an aardvark-like head?
A: The god Set.

Most Interesting Fun Facts

1. The aardvark is the only living member of its entire mammalian order, Tubulidentata, making it one of the most evolutionarily isolated animals on Earth.
2. Despite looking somewhat pig-like, aardvarks are more closely related to elephants and manatees than to pigs or anteaters.
3. An aardvark's tongue can extend up to 30 centimeters and is coated with sticky saliva that allows it to capture up to 50,000 ants and termites in a single night.
4. Aardvark teeth are made of hundreds of tiny tubes of dentin packed together like a bundle of straws, with no enamel coating, and they grow continuously throughout the animal's life.
5. Aardvarks can dig faster than almost any other animal, creating a hiding hole in just minutes and sometimes disappearing underground in mere seconds when threatened.
6. The nasal area of an aardvark contains ten nasal conchae, more than any other placental mammal, giving it one of the most powerful senses of smell in the animal kingdom.
7. Aardvarks are surprisingly strong swimmers and have been observed crossing rivers to escape predators or find new territory.
8. Abandoned aardvark burrows provide critical shelter for dozens of other African species, including warthogs, hyenas, wild dogs, pangolins, porcupines, reptiles, birds, and bats.
9. A single plant species, the aardvark cucumber (Cucumis humifructus), depends entirely on aardvarks for seed dispersal and would likely go extinct without them.
10. During severe droughts, aardvarks may shift from nocturnal to daytime activity, but this behavioral change is often a warning sign of starvation and poor body condition.
11. One Kalahari aardvark experienced an 11.7°C drop in body temperature within 8 hours during drought conditions, the most extreme fluctuation ever recorded in a large mammal.
12. Aardvarks can close their nostrils completely to keep out dust and biting insects while excavating termite mounds.
13. Baby aardvarks are born hairless with eyes open and already possess well-developed claws, ready for a life of digging.
14. A young aardvark can dig its own first burrow at just six months of age.
15. Aardvarks have been documented at elevations as high as 3,200 meters in Ethiopia.
16. Genetically, the aardvark is considered a "living fossil" because its chromosomes have changed very little from the ancestral mammalian arrangement over tens of millions of years.
17. The aardvark's muscular stomach functions like a bird's gizzard, grinding up swallowed insects since the animal does very little chewing.
18. Research published in 2024 confirmed that aardvarks have a reflective tapetum lucidum in their eyes, enhancing their night vision.
19. Fossilized aardvark burrows on South Africa's Cape coast date back to the Pleistocene epoch, showing these animals have shaped African landscapes for hundreds of thousands of years.
20. Scientists are now studying aardvark burrows as "One Health" sites because the many species that share them may provide insights into wildlife disease transmission.

Trivia Questions and Answers

1. Q: What is the aardvark's scientific name?
   A: Orycteropus afer, meaning "burrowing foot of Africa."
2. Q: What does the word "aardvark" mean?
   A: "Earth pig" in Afrikaans, referring to its pig-like snout and burrowing habits.
3. Q: Why is the aardvark's order called Tubulidentata?
   A: Because its teeth have a unique tube-like internal structure made of hundreds of tiny dentine tubules.
4. Q: What group of mammals is the aardvark most closely related to?
   A: Afrotheria, which includes elephants, manatees, hyraxes, and golden moles.
5. Q: Is the aardvark related to South American anteaters?
   A: No, their similarities are due to convergent evolution, not close kinship.
6. Q: What is the aardvark's most important sense for finding food?
   A: Smell, aided by ten nasal conchae and a highly developed olfactory lobe.
7. Q: How many insects can an aardvark eat in one night?
   A: Up to 50,000 ants and termites.
8. Q: How long is an aardvark's tongue?
   A: Up to 30 centimeters (about 12 inches).
9. Q: How long is an aardvark's pregnancy?
   A: Approximately seven months.
10. Q: How many babies does an aardvark usually have at a time?
    A: Usually one, rarely twins.
11. Q: At what age can a young aardvark dig its own burrow?
    A: About six months old.
12. Q: Why do aardvarks dig burrows?
    A: For daytime shelter, raising young, escaping predators, and maintaining comfortable temperatures.
13. Q: What is an "ecosystem engineer"?
    A: An animal that physically modifies habitats in ways that benefit other species. Aardvarks qualify because their burrows shelter dozens of other animals.
14. Q: What is the aardvark's IUCN conservation status?
    A: Least Concern globally, though local populations face various threats.
15. Q: What happens to aardvarks during severe droughts?
    A: Their prey becomes scarce, they may shift to daytime activity, and many starve to death.
16. Q: What is the only fruit that aardvarks eat?
    A: The aardvark cucumber (Cucumis humifructus), which grows underground.
17. Q: Why is the aardvark cucumber dependent on aardvarks?
    A: Only aardvarks can smell the buried fruit, dig it up, and disperse its seeds through their dung.
18. Q: How does an aardvark protect itself while eating from termite mounds?
    A: It closes its nostrils to keep out dust and insects, and its thick skin protects against bites and stings.
19. Q: What predators hunt aardvarks?
    A: Lions, leopards, hyenas, African wild dogs, pythons, and humans.
20. Q: How does an aardvark defend itself when cornered?
    A: It rolls onto its back and slashes with its powerful claws, or strikes with its tail and shoulders.