Nocturnal Oddity - the Aardvark

Nocturnal Oddity - the Aardvark

The Aardvark is an unmistakable creature, with its elongated, pig-like snout, and tubular, mule-like ears. Its name comes from the Afrikaans meaning, ‘earth pig'. The English have christened it with the less appropriate name of ‘Antbear', although the animal has no relation to bears whatsoever. ‘Orycteropus afer' is a large and massive creature, about 1.5m in length, and weighing around 65kg, with short, thick, powerful limbs and a heavily muscled kangaroo-like tail. Its body is sparsely covered with coarse, bristly hairs, usually fawn-grey, turning almost black at the base of tail tails and on its legs. The colour is usually determined by the hue of the local soil, and individuals can be almost red from staining.

Termites and Ants, if you please . . .

Preferring open woodland, sparse scrub and grassland, the Aardvark's habitat is directly related to its food source - primarily termites and ants and their eggs and larvae. This nocturnal animal may forage up to 10km per night, consuming hundreds of thousands of termites and ants. It locates an ant or termite colony by vigorously snorting with its nose pressed firmly against the ground. Fleshy tentacles inside the nose are used to either pick up chemical stimulus from insects or to register minute vibrations set up the insect's response to its loud snort. Once it has located its tiny prey, the Aardvark tears into the ground with its spade-like claws, until its face and mouth can be inserted. Then it uses its 45 cm tongue to probe. The termites adhere to its sticky surface, or are held as they bite. While conducting its explorations, the antbear may disappear entirely inside the termitaria. Pushing the soil beneath it as it digs, it then expels it with the hind feet, making distinctive spoor with its long nails.

Mostly a Loner - Born to Burrow

A solitary and nocturnal creature, the Aardvark is rarely seen by people. Its tracks are instantly recognisable, however, for the antbear leaves large holes as it digs exploratory trenches when searching for insects. It has a habit of digging in farm roads, causing damage to vehicles, and under fences, so incurring the wrath of farmers. Often an Aardvark will excavate temporary refuges, sometimes creating and abandoning several holes in a night. The burrows may penetrate for several metres underground, typically with a chamber at the end so the animal can turn around. The long, tubular ears fold back and close when tunnelling. The nostril slits can be opened and closed, and are surrounded by thick mats of hair, which act as a dust filter.

A deeper, permanent burrow is used only by the female to shelter her young. These maybe up to 13m long, with numerous entrances that are closed with soil after the animal enters. Porcupines, pythons, warthogs, jackals, hyenas, leopards, wild dogs and wild cats later use - or sometimes usurp - these dens as their own homes. The deep, multi-chambered dens protect the Aardvark from hot temperatures during the day. It is speculated that, like the armadillo, there is a partial arrest of circulation during sleep, further confirmed by their resistance to being ‘smoked out' by hunters. Occupied burrows can be identified by the presence of numerous small flies in the entrance, which lay their eggs on the skin of the Aardvark.

Breeding
Breeding usually takes place during the wet season. Gestation is 210 days and usually produces a single young, which weighs an average of 2kg at birth. The young is helpless in infancy and is left alone in the den, where the mother returns to nurse from time to time. After several weeks, the youngster will accompany its mother, and may begin to dig food for itself at about six months.

Digging Techniques and Enemies

The Aardvark is capable of digging at great speed. It is nearly impossible to dig out, as it burrows much faster than its enemies and apparently blocks the path behind it with earth at two metre intervals. A farmer with his assistants once attempted to dig one out with shovels, but gave up after the resultant trench measured 32m!

Its senses of hearing and smell are well developed both for finding termites and for sensing predators. If disturbed, it may freeze and then take off at a fast run, and interestingly, it has been observed to turn somersaults whenever alarmed, throwing off attackers - a feat even performed by captive Aardvarks. Eyesight is not acute, however, and it may bump into trees and bushes when feeling, unable to see easier escape routes. A bleating calf-like bellow accompanies any sudden fright or pain. Leopard and Lion typically prey on the Aardvark, but its primary enemy is man. The flesh is greatly sought after, and the snout, digits, teeth and claws are used by sangomas (traditional faith-healers).

CC Africa's Aardvark Hotspots

Aardvark are widespread but usually only encountered by chance. They are more often seen during the cool winter months in southern Africa, when they are inclined to start foraging before nightfall so as to be back in their burrows during the coldest part of the night. Regular sightings are had at Kwandwe in the Eastern Cape, where one individual recently delighted guests by foraging in an unconcerned manner alongside a vehicle in broad daylight! The fringe of Sand Forest is favoured habitat at Phinda, but a sighting of an Aardvark here - or at Londolozi and Ngala - is a noteworthy event and usually the highlight of any night drive! Aardvark diggings are regularly seen close to Safari Camp at Matetsi, and the animals are sometimes seen on night drives in termite-rich savanna. In East Africa, infrequent reports come from Kichwa Tembo in Kenya's Masai Mara (where one was recently preyed upon by Lion), but Aardvark also range across the Serengeti in Tanzania.

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