by Dixie Thomason

Created on: June 03, 2010

Aardvarks live in Africa. They grow to be 6ft long, 2ft of which is their tail, and they reach about 2ft in height. Aardvarks have gray skin with such a meager covering of hair that they often appear to be hairless with the exception of their hind quarters and legs. This odd looking little creature sports a long, narrow head, large pointy ears, hog shaped muzzle and tiny mouth. Aardvarks strong claws on their feet. The word, aardvark, is African for 'earth pig'.

The aardvark uses its sharp claws and strong legs to burrow into the ground rapidly, which the aardvark does when discouraged away from its usual den. To dig, an aardvark sits on its back legs and tail and pushes the dirt under its body with its strong front legs, using the back legs to disperse.

An average aardvark den is normally three to four yards in length containing a sleeping cavity at the end large enough to let the aardvark turn around. This den is usually inhabited by a single aardvark. Each aardvark makes numerous dens, some of which are several miles apart.

The primary food of the aardvark is termites. The animal uses its tremendously strong claws to tear through termite nests. The aardvark will rip a small hole into the wall of the nest, causing the termites to swarm. Then the aardvark reaches in with its narrow tongue and picks the termites out. The aardvarks tough skin and ability to shut its nostrils keeps the termites from harming it. The aardvark also finds termites in rotted wood and other places. It eats other types of soft insects as well and some fruits. However, unlike similar creatures, aardvarks can not consume actual ants.

Female aardvarks give birth in midsummer, inside her den, usually to a single baby, but occasionally to two at a time. The aardvark baby stays in the den for two weeks, after that it goes with its mother to hunt food. For the next six months the baby aardvark follows its mother around, going from den to den, after that time it can dig its own.

The primary enemies of the aardvark are pythons, cheetahs, lions, man, hunting dogs, leopards and the honey badger. When the aardvark senses danger, it sits up on its hind legs using its tail for support. In this position the aardvark can better determine if there is any real danger. In the case of impending danger, if able, the aardvark will run into its den or dig a new one. However, when cornered, it will fight back by striking with its tail or powerful feet. The aardvark will even lay on its back in order to strike with all four powerful feet at the same time.

Although prior, the aardvark was thought to be endangered, since 2002 the aardvark has been listed under the category of least concern on the South African IUCN red list. It is now believed that the animal might not have ever been endangered, its evasive behavior made it difficult to find, therefore it appeared to be rare. However, humans remain the aardvark's biggest threat. The aardvark's natural habitat is being reduced more and more as the human population grows. In some places aardvarks are persecuted because they are a nuisance to farmers as they dig holes in dam walls and roads as well as dig under fences.

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