Aardvarks and Aardwolves of Kwandwe

The Aardvark (literal translation from Afrikaans is "earth pig") and Aardwolf ("earth wolf") spend most of their lives with their noses to the ground. Although not rare, they are shy, nocturnal and rarely-seen, so these are two of the most sought-after animals on safari.

Situated in South Africa's Eastern Cape province, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve is one of the few wildlife reserves where there are regular opportunities to see these timid and unusual creatures.

Aardvark - the earth pig

One of the reasons that so little is known about the Aardvark is that this amazing creature is mainly nocturnal and solitary. They are far larger than most people expect, weighing about the same as an adult Cheetah (40kg). Observations at Kwandwe have shown that the Aardvark changes its patterns of movement according to the seasons, and this probably has something to do with its foraging habits. Two termite species are predominantly consumed. Trinervitermes trinervoides (Snouted Harvester Termite) builds conspicuous mounds but is not self-sustained like the fungus-growing termites, and harvests grass for food. Most of this grass harvesting occurs at night, but during the cold winter months these gregarious insects often do not emerge at all. Although huge numbers of mounds are present on Kwandwe, many are unoccupied and are built only for the purpose of storing grass when other areas are denuded. Hodotermes mossambicus (Northern Harvester Termite) do not create mounds but rather live in an underground nest system. In autumn and early winter, H.mossambicus forages during the day, sometimes in bright sunshine.

The habits of these two abundant termite seemingly determine the activity periods of Aardvark at Kwandwe. In summer it is almost unheard of to see an Aardvark during daylight hours. The mounds of T. trinervoides are more easily broken into during the warm and wet summer months when the soil is softer.

In winter Aardvark are more active during daylight hours as they appear to change from their nocturnal foraging for T. trinervoides to seeking out the diurnally active H. mossambicus . By following the Aardvark on foot in winter, it is easy to see that they are scraping into the ground nests of H. mossambicus and consuming predominantly this species. They appear to do far more digging in late winter, perhaps because this is the time when both termite species are fairly inactive. Various species of ants as well as beetle larvae also feature in the diet of Aardvark but this aspect has not yet been researched at Kwandwe.

Aardwolf - the earth wolf

Like the Aardvark, the Aardwolf alters its activity periods according to the season. This small relative of the hyena is almost completely nocturnal in summer, but often forages during daylight in winter. Aardwolf also change from consuming T. trinervoides in summer to foraging for H. mossambicus in winter.

Aardwolf do not have the powerful digging claws of the Aardvark, and what has been fascinating to note is that throughout the year, where an Aardvark has been found digging, an Aardwolf has often been located nearby. When the Aardvark has dug for termites and had its fill, the Aardwolf will often lick any remaining termites up with its sticky tongue.

Aardwolf do have the ability to dig and they often excavate burrows or enlarge those of Springhare. At Kwandwe, however, Aardwolf have never been seen to use their digging abilities to find food. Aardwolf typically use fresh Aardvark diggings to forage, and they have regularly been seen to feed on winged termites. Foraging termites and ants are located by sound, as the Aardwolf cocks its ears to the ground. Aardwolf typically follow Aardvark in the driest part of late winter which is the time that both species of termite are underground. It appears that the Aardwolf is to some extent reliant on the Aardvark for food at this time of the year.

Ecological impact of Aardvark

The Aardvark is a key species in the Kwandwe ecosystem, and not only because of its relationship with the Aardwolf. The excavations of these powerful diggers create burrows for a variety of other creatures including burrow-living mammals such as Warthog and the South African Shelduck which is unique among African ducks in laying its eggs underground. Elsewhere in southern Africa, the Southern Ant-eating Chat? and Pearl-breasted Swallow are known to build their nests in the roof of an Aardvark burrow.

Although Aardvark are not known to be territorial, they do appear to have home ranges. During 2004, at least ten individuals were observed on a regular basis in specific areas. In the absence of obvious distinguishing physical characteristics, however, it is not possible to estimate the population of Aardvark at Kwandwe.

- Natasha de Woronin -

Posted: Mammals by CC Africa, Date: 21 November 2006