Where does the aardwolf live?
The aardwolf is an insect-eating hyena, native to East and Southern Africa. Its name means "earth-wolf" in Afrikaans and Dutch. It lives in the shrublands of Eastern and Southern Africa: open lands covered with stunted trees and shrubs. It is nocturnal, resting in burrows during the day.
What does the aardwolf eat?
Unlike many of its relatives in the order Carnivora, the aardwolf does not hunt large animals. It eats insects and their larvae, mainly termites: one aardwolf can lap up as many as 300,000 termites in a single night, with its long, sticky tongue, which is tough enough to withstand the strong bite of termites. It resembles a much smaller and thinner striped hyena. It is also called the termite-eating hyena or civet hyena, because it secretes substances from its anal gland.
Is the aardwolf endangered?
No: the IUCN lists it as Least Concern. It is a medium-sized, lightly built hyaenid, comparable to a jackal: it measures 55 to 80 cm, with a bushy tail of 19 to 28 cm, and usually weighs 7.7 to 13 kg.
