Creature Feature

Aardvark(Orycteropus afer)

Fast Facts• “Aardvark” means “earth pig”• Burrowing, nocturnal mammal• ~ 2 feet tall• Sparse covering of coarse hair• Poor eyesight• Excellent hearing and sense of smell

• Sleep in burrows during the day• Predators include:– Lions – Leopards – Hunting dogs – Pythons

• Can live up to 24 yrs in captivity

Aardvark

Anteater

Distribution

Range of habitats include savannah, grasslands, woodlands, and bushlands

Feeding

• Each toe has a large shovel-like nail

• Forage over 6-18 miles from their burrow

• Seeks out ant or termite mounds

• Uses its long tongue to grab food

• Can eat up to 50,000 ants or termites in one night!

Reproduction

• Only pair during the breeding season• Gestate for 7 months• Give birth to one cub that weighs ~ 5

lbs.• Babies can eat termites after 4 months

Fun Facts

• Kids show “Arthur” on PBS was based on an aardvark

• Stan Lee and Steve Ditko originally wanted a mammalian themed superhero to add to the Marvel Universe– "Aardvarkman" – superhero with the ability

to control hordes of soldier ants– Soldier ant theme led to the creation of

Spiderman– Supervillain Toad was eventually created

from the failed artwork for Aardvarkman