The aardvark (Orycteropus afer, from Greek ορυκτερόπους (orykterópous) meaning "digging footed" and afer: from Africa) is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is the only living species of the order Tubulidentata, although other prehistoric species and genera of Tubulidentata are known.
An aardvark's weight is typically between 40 and 65 kg. An aardvark's length is usually between 1 and 1.3 m, and can reach lengths of 2.2 m when its tail (which can be up to 70 centimetres) is taken into account. It is the largest member of the proposed clade Afroinsectiphilia. The aardvark is pale yellowish gray in color and often stained reddish-brown by soil. The aardvark's coat is thin and the animal's primary protection is its tough skin. The aardvark has been known to sleep in a recently excavated ant nest, which also serves as protection from its predators.
One of the most distinctive characteristics of the Tubulidentata is their teeth. Instead of having a pulp cavity, each tooth has a cluster of thin, upright, parallel tubes of vasodentin (a modified form of dentine), with individual pulp canals, held together by cementum. The teeth have no enamel coating and are worn away and regrow continuously. The aardvark is born with conventional incisors and canines at the front of the jaw, which fall out and are not replaced. Adult aardvarks only have cheek teeth at the back of the jaw, and have a dental formula of:
Genetically speaking, the aardvark is a living fossil, as its chromosomes are highly conserved, reflecting much of the early eutherian arrangement before the divergence of the major modern taxa.
Aside from digging out ants and termites, the aardvark also excavates burrows in which to live; temporary sites are scattered around the home range as refuges, and a main burrow is used for breeding. Main burrows can be deep and extensive, have several entrances and can be as long as 13 metres. The aardvark changes the layout of its home burrow regularly, and from time to time moves on and makes a new one; the old burrows are then inhabited by smaller animals like the African wild dog. Only mothers and young share burrows. If attacked in the tunnel, it will seal the tunnel off behind itself or turn around and attack with its claws.
Aardvarks only pair during the breeding season; after a gestation period of seven months, one cub weighing around 2 kg is born, and is able to leave the burrow to accompany its mother after only two weeks, and is eating termites at 14 weeks and is weaned by 16 weeks. At six months of age it is able to dig its own burrows, but it will often remain with the mother until the next mating season, and is sexually capable by the season after that.
Aardvarks live for up to 24 years in captivity.
The aardvark's main predators are lions, leopards, hunting dogs and pythons. Some African tribes also hunt aardvarks for meat. Aardvarks can dig fast or run in zigzag fashion to elude enemies, but if all else fails, they will strike with their claws, tail and shoulders, sometimes flipping onto their backs to lash with all fours. Their thick skin also protects them to some extent.
The Egyptian god Set is said, by some, to have the head of an aardvark, or part aardvark.
The main antagonist (Cyril Sneer) and one of the protagonists (Cedric Sneer) of the 1980s Gemini Award winning animated television series The Raccoons were aardvarks.
The main character of Arthur, an animated television series for children produced by WGBH, shown in more than 180 countries, is an aardvark.
One of the main characters of the 1969-1971 animated cartoon The Ant and the Aardvark is a blue aardvark voiced by John Byner, doing an impersonation of Jackie Mason. It depicts the Aardvark attempting, and failing, to catch and eat his antagonist, the Ant, also voiced by Byner impersonating Dean Martin.
Category:Mammals of Africa Category:Myrmecophagous mammals Category:Words of Afrikaans origin Category:Living fossils Category:Megafauna of Africa Category:Animals described in 1766
af:Erdvark ar:خنزير الأرض az:Borudişli bn:আর্ডভার্ক bar:Erdfàggi br:Hoc'h-douar ca:Porc formiguer cs:Hrabáč da:Jordsvin de:Erdferkel nv:Bisóodi bichį́į́h nineezí et:Tuhnik el:Ορυκτερόπους es:Orycteropus afer eo:Orikteropo fr:Oryctérope du Cap ga:Arcán talún gd:Aardvark ko:땅돼지 ha:Dabgi hr:Afrički mravojed io:Orikteropo is:Jarðsvín it:Orycteropus afer he:שנבוב sw:Mhanga la:Orycteropus afer lij:Tubulidentata li:Eerdverke jbo:rikteropu hu:Földimalac mt:Orikteropu ms:Ardvark nl:Aardvarken ja:ツチブタ no:Jordsvin nrm:Couochon d'tèrre oc:Orycteropus afer pl:Mrównik pt:Aardvark ru:Трубкозуб scn:Orycteropus afer simple:Aardvark ss:Sambane sr:Цевозупке sh:Afrički mravojed fi:Maasika sv:Jordsvin tr:Yerdomuzu uk:Трубкозуб zh:土豚
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