What kind of animal is an aardvark?
aardvark, (Orycteropus afer), also called antbear, stocky African mammal found south of the Sahara Desert in savanna and semiarid areas. The name aardvark—Afrikaans for “earth pig”—refers to its piglike face and burrowing habits.
Has an anteater killed anyone?
Human Death Caused by a Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in Brazil. The fatal outcome of a defensive attack by a giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is reported. Necroscopic examination showed femoral artery lesions and a large hematoma in the left thigh, with death caused by hypovolemic shock.
Aardvarks are relatively large African mammals that roam much of the continent south of the Sahara. They are odd-looking animals, with long snouts used for finding insects. Once it uses its sensitive snout to locate food, the aardvark digs it out using sharp claws. Read on to learn about the aardvark. Two aardvarks napping in the afternoon sun.
Are there any predators that eat aardvarks?
The aardvark lives in one of the most dangerous environments in the animal kingdom, and as such, it is particularly prone to be hunted down, killed, and eaten by other, much bigger and strong animals. I hope that this article on aardvark predators was helpful.
How are aardvarks related to pigs and elephants?
Aardvarks look a bit like pigs, with rabbit-like ears and a kangaroo’s tail, yet they are not related to any of these animals. In fact, one of their closest living relatives is the elephant!
Where can I find an aardvark in Africa?
Aardvarks can be found across the vast majority of Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. They can be found from sub-Saharan Africa to South Africa, but there are a few countries they avoid. Aardvarks are mostly absent in Namibia, Ghana, Madagascar, and the Ivory Coast.
What animal eats an aardvark?
The aardvark has many predators which include lions, dogs, hyenas, pythons, and humans. It uses its strong sense of smell to help stay away from its predators. While under attack, aardvarks are known to excavate their burrow extremely fast or run in a zigzag motion.
Is an ardvark and an anteater the same animal?
Anteaters and aardvarks are similar looking animals that are actually different species . An anteater is a mammal of the suborder Vermilingua. It is a solitary animal and is also known as the anthill bear. Giant Anteaters are sometimes mistaken for bears because of their claws and bushy fur. Aardvark is a mammal found in Africa.
How is Aardvark similar to an anteater?
People may even refer to aardvarks as “anteaters.” Granted, they share similar facial features like elongated snouts and tongues . The anteater’s tongue can extend up to 24 inches (60 centimeters) to probe inside anthills and extract ants by the hundreds.
Are aardvarks mammals or reptiles?
The aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is sometimes colloquially called “African antbear”, “anteater”, or the “Cape anteater” after the Cape of Good Hope.
The Aardvark, an amazing array of animal curiosity. This clumsy looking mammal is a burrowing, snuffling, ant-eating machine.
What’s the name of the female aardvark in Arthur?
A female aardvark is a sow, and the baby is a cub. The aardvark is solitary by nature but the rare sight of a group of aardvarks is called an armoury. In the Canadian-American childrens’ TV series Arthur, the main character is an anthropomorphic, third-grade attending brown aardvark.
Which is the largest group anteaters or aardvarks?
The largest group is a kingdom, and then it goes down in size to phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. Aardvarks and anteaters belong to different orders. This means they are only as similar to each other as they are to every other mammal. They both belong to the class Mammalia, but that is where the similarity ends.
How are aardvarks related to elephants and manatees?
Although aardvarks look like anteaters, they are actually related to elephants (order Proboscidea ), hyraxes (order Hyracoidea), and dugongs and manatees (order Sirenia ); all belong to a group of primitive ungulates called uranotherians.
Where did the band The Aardvarks come from?
The Aardvarks were an American garage rock band from Muskegon, Michigan who were active between 1964-1968. They were one of the most popular groups in the Muskegon area and recorded three singles, two of which were issued on labels of Dave Kalmback’s Fenton Records based out of Sparta, Michigan.
What was the scientific name for the Aardvark?
The aardvark’s status as an evolutionary leftover explains some of this odd-looking animal’s most bizarre features. The scientific name for the group that includes the aardvark and its extinct relatives, Tubulidentata, hints at one of the aardvark’s most distinctive—and anachronistic—features: its strange teeth.
Is the Aardvark related to a bear or a pig?
Despite these common names, aardvarks are not closely related to bears, pigs, or anteaters. Instead, they occupy their own distinct order: Tubulidentata. Fast Facts: Aardvark Scientific Name:Orycteropus afer Common Names: Aardvark, antbear, anteater, Cape anteaters, earth pig Basic Animal Group: Mammal
Although aardvarks look like anteaters, they are actually related to elephants (order Proboscidea ), hyraxes (order Hyracoidea), and dugongs and manatees (order Sirenia ); all belong to a group of primitive ungulates called uranotherians.
The aardvark is a nocturnal mammal native to Africa, known for its distinctive snout and diet of ants and termites. An aardvark in its preferred grassland habitat.
What is the biggest threat to the Aardvark?
The biggest threat to the Aardvark is habitat loss. What is another name for the Aardvark? The Aardvark is also called the antbear or Earth pig. How many Aardvarks are left in the world? The population size of the Aardvark is unknown. How fast is an Aardvark? An Aardvark can travel at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.
How long does an aardvark live in captivity?
Although their lifespan in the wild is not entirely clear, aardvarks tend to live for more than 20 years in captivity. Aardvark Diet and Prey. The diet of aardvarks is mainly comprised of ants and termites, with termites being their preferred food source.
Which is the closest living relative to an aardvark?
Aardvark Facts. Amazingly, the aardvarks closest living relative is probably the African elephant. Nocturnal for the most part, the aardvark lives a solitary life, and can be found throughout many areas of Africa, generally south of the Sahara desert, where the soil is soft enough for digging and the food supply is adequate for their appetites.
