The species has robust numbers in protected areas, such as South Africa’s Kruger National Park.Īardvarks do face threats, however, including habitat loss from agricultural development and a decline in insect prey due to pesticides. The International Union for the Conservation of Species considers the aardvark a species of “least concern,” meaning their populations are stable. Young aardvarks can eat solid food at three months, and are fully weaned and on their own at six or seven months. The mother stays in the burrow with her offspring for two weeks, at which time the baby can accompany her on foraging trips outside the burrow. The baby, hairless and about six pounds, is born during a peak time of food availability-either before or during the rainy season. Gestation lasts eight months, after which a female births a single cub. Males and females come together briefly to mate. Reproductionīecause of the aardvark’s elusive nature, little is known about its mating habits in the wild. They also lack the reflective tissue that makes the eyes of some animals glow in the dark. People rarely see aardvarks, mostly because they’re solitary, nocturnal, and spend so much time underground. To thrive in their sub-Saharan habitat, the insectivores sport large, rabbity ears that disperse heat, sparse body hair, and thick skin that’s impervious to insect bites. )Īardvarks have stocky bodies, pinkish gray or grayish brown skin, and a short tail. (Related: Why some animals are more important to ecosystems than others. Porcupines and hyenas may modify the burrows for their use, for instance by expanding the entrance. Once abandoned, these well-constructed burrows, which can have many entrances, are recycled by other animals, including reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and birds. These insects make up most of the aardvark’s diet, although they’ll occasionally eat beetle larvae.Īardvarks use their long, powerful claws to tear open termite mounds, as well as dig underground burrows in which they sleep and care for their young. The nocturnal animals use their long noses and keen sense of smell to sniff out ants and termites, which they lap up with an anteater-like tongue covered in sticky saliva. Current Population Trend: Unknown What is an aardvark?Īs burrowing mammals with porcine snouts, aardvarks are true to their name, which translates to “earth pig” in the Afrikaans language.
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