Aardwolf Temporal range: Pleistocene - Recent
Aardwolf
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Hyaenidae
Subfamily:	Protelinae Flower, 1869
Genus:	Proteles I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1824
Species:	P. cristata
Aardwolf range

The aardwolf (Proteles cristata) is a small, insectivorous mammal, native to East Africa and Southern Africa. Its name means "earth wolf" in the Afrikaans / Dutch language.^[2] It is also called "maanhaar jackal".^[3] The aardwolf is in the same family with the hyenas, but unlike its relatives, the aardwolf does not hunt large animals. The aardwolf usually eats insects. It eats mostly termites, and one aardwolf can eat about 200,000 termites during a single night by using its long, sticky tongue to capture them.

The two subspecies of aardwolves are the only surviving species of the mammalian subfamily Protelinae. These two species are the Proteles cristatus cristatus of Southern Africa and the Proteles cristatus septentrionalis of East Africa.^[4][5]

The aardwolf is usually classified with the Hyaenidae, though it was formerly placed into the family Protelidae. The aardwolf lives in the scrublands of eastern and southern Africa. This is an areas of open land covered with stunted trees and shrubs. Aardwolves usually hide in burrows during the day, and then they come out at night to seek food. Their diet nearly always consists of termites, insect larvae, and the carrion of larger animals.^[6]

Physical characteristics[link]

Detail of head - taken at the Cincinnati Zoo. Note the ability to rotate the ears.

The aardwolf looks somewhat like a very small Striped Hyena. They have more slender muzzles, sharper ears that they use in the hunt for termites, black vertical stripes on a coat of yellowish fur, and a long, distinct manes down the midlines of their necks and backs. This mane is raised during confrontations in order to make the aardwolves appear to be larger. An aardwolf is about 55 to 80 centimeters long, excluding its bushy tail about 20 to 30 cm long, and one stands about 40 to 50 cm tall at the shoulders. An adult aardwolf usually weighs between nine and 14 kilograms.^[6] Its front feet have five toes apiece, unlike other the related hyenas that have four toes.^[4] The teeth and skull of the aardwolf are similar to those of the hyena, though its cheek teeth are specialised for eating insects. ^[4]

As the aardwolf ages, it will normally lose some of its teeth, though this has little impact on their feeding habits due to the softness of the insects that they eat.^[6] The aardwolf has two glands at its rear end that secrete a musky fluid for marking territory and for communicating with other aardwolves.

Aardwolf skull.

Distribution and habitat[link]

The aardwolf lives on open, dry plains and bushland, avoiding mountainous areas. Due to its specific food requirements, the animal is only found in regions where termites of the family Hodotermitidae occur. Termites of this family depend on dead and withered grass and are most populous in heavily grazed grasslands and savannahs, including farmland. For most of the year, aardwolves spend time in shared territories consisting of up to a dozen dens which are occupied for six weeks at a time.^[6]

There are two distinct populations: one in Southern Africa, and another in East and Northeast Africa. The species does not occur in the intermediary miombo forests.

Behavior[link]

Aardwolf from the zoo in San Antonio, Texas

Aardwolves are shy and nocturnal, sleeping in underground burrows by day.^[4] They usually use existing burrows of aardvarks, porcupines or springhares, despite being capable of creating their own. By night, an aardwolf can consume up to 200,000 harvester termites using its sticky, long tongue.^[6] They take special care not to destroy the termite mound or consume the entire colony, which ensures that the termites can rebuild and provide a continuous supply of food. They will often memorise the location of such nests and return to them to save the trouble of finding a new one. They are also known to feed on other insects, larvae, and eggs, and occasionally small mammals and birds. Unlike other hyenas, aardwolves do not scavenge or kill larger animals.

The adult aardwolf is primarily solitary while foraging for food, necessary because of the scarcity and homogeneous distribution of their insect prey. They have often been mistaken for solitary animals. In fact, they live as monogamous pairs, with their young, defending the same territory.^[7] Young aardwolves generally achieve sexual maturity after two years, and the breeding season varies depending on their location, but normally takes place during the autumn or spring. During the breeding season, unpaired male aardwolves will search their own territory as well as others' for a female to mate with. Dominant males will also mate opportunistically with the females of less dominant neighboring aardwolves. This can often result in conflict between two male aardwolves when one has wandered into another's territory. Gestation lasts between 90 and 110 days, producing one to five cubs (most often two or three) during the rainy season, when termites are active.^[4] The first six to eight weeks are spent in the den with the mother. After three months, they begin supervised foraging and by four months are normally independent. However, they will often use the same den as their mother until the next breeding season. They can achieve a lifespan of up to 15 years when in captivity.

Interaction with humans[link]

Agriculture may create a negative impact on their population due to use of poisons by farmers.^[1] They are often considered useful, non-dangerous animals by farmers. However, in some areas the aardwolf is hunted for its fur. Encounters with dogs are another threat.

Illustration of Proteles cristatus.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Proteles cristatus

Wikispecies has information related to: Proteles cristatus

• Animal Diversity Web
• IUCN Hyaenidae Specialist Group Aardwolf pages on hyaenidae.org
• Texts on Wikisource:
  • Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Aard-wolf". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
  • "Aard-wolf". Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921. 

Clifford Meth
Born	(1961-02-22) February 22, 1961 (age 51)
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Writer, Editor
Pseudonym(s)	Hank Magitz

Clifford Lawrence Meth (born February 22, 1961) is an American writer and editor best known for his dark fiction. He has said that his work is often "self-consciously Jewish."^[1]

Early life[link]

Born in Queens, New York City, New York, Meth grew up in Rockaway, New Jersey.^{[citation needed]} He attended Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University in the U.S., and Wroxton College in the U.K.^[2]

Career[link]

In publishing[link]

In the early 1980s, Meth worked as a staff editor for Electronic Design^[3][4] while freelancing for the Los Angeles Times Entertainment Newswire, Fangoria, Starlog, Billboard and other periodicals.^[5]

By the mid-1980s Meth became involved with Chabad-Lubavitch yeshivas, but in 1994 the group's reaction to the death of its leader, The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, led to Meth's disillusionment with the movement.^[6] Meth embarked on a fiction-writing career. One of his first published works^[7] was "I, Gezheh", which dealt with corruption in Chabad. Author Robert Bloch provided an afterword for the story, which was illustrated by Dave Cockrum.^[8]

With the aid of Cockrum and fantasy artist Gray Morrow, Meth co-founded Aardwolf Publishing along with partner Jim Reeber in 1994.^{[citation needed]} The company published a series of comic books, art portfolios, and collections of illustrated fiction.^{[citation needed]}

In 2004, Meth joined IDT Entertainment's Creative Development team.^[9] and worked on Showtime's Masters of Horror^[10] series and ABC's Masters of Science Fiction.^[10] In 2004, he was story editor for Gene Roddenberry's Starpoint Academy, an animated feature screenplay IDT hired Peter David to script.^[11] Meth left IDT Entertainment in 2006 when the division was sold to Liberty Media.^[12] In 2007 he oversaw the acquisition of IDW Publishing by IDT Corporation and joined IDW as executive vice president, editorial/strategies.^{[citation needed]} The following year, producer Richard Saperstein optioned film rights to Meth's IDW horror comic-book series, Snaked, with Meth as screenwriter and an executive producer.^[13]

In 2008, Meth launched IDW Publishing's "New Classics of the Fantastic Series", which published out-of-print Hugo and Nebula Award-winning books, beginning with Robert Silverberg's Nightwings.^[14]

Public persona[link]

Meth's personality and outspokenness have sometimes led to personal differences with some comics professionals, including artist Barry Windsor-Smith, whom Meth lambasted in his column "Past Masters".^[15]

Charitable work[link]

In 2008, Meth established the Dave & Paty Cockrum Scholarship at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art.^[16] In 2010, Meth founded the Kars4Kids Literacy Program,^[17] which has made significant contributions to such universities as Seton Hall University.^[18]

On numerous occasions Meth has spearheaded campaigns to raise money and awareness for financially challenged comics’ creators, including Gene Colan,^[19] William Messner-Loebs^[20] and Dave Simons.^[21]

Quotes[link]

Harlan Ellison:

Bibliography[link]

Publications[link]

• girl (chapbook) (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1983)
• Crib Death & Other Bedtime Stories (Aardwolf Publishing, 1995)
• This Bastard Planet (Aardwolf Publishing, 1995)
• The White Man Dancing (Aardwolf Publishing, 1996)
• Crawling From the Wreckage: The White Man Limping (Aardwolf Publishing, 1996)
• Crib Death: The Babysitter's Companion (Aardwolf Publishing, 1997)
• Perverts, Pedophiles & Other Theologians (Aardwolf Publishing, 1997)
• Conflicts of Disinterest (Aardwolf Publishing, 1998)
• Wearing The Horns (Aardwolf Publishing, 2003)
• god's 15 minutes (Aardwolf Publishing, 2004)
• METHo.d. (Aardwolf Publishing, 2006)
• Snaked (with Rufus Dayglo, IDW Publishing, 2007)
• One Small Voice (IDW Publishing, 2008)
• Meth, Colan & Other Theologians (Aardwolf Publishing, 2008)
• Billboards (IDW Publishing, 2009)

As editor[link]

• Strange Kaddish (Aardwolf Publishing, 1996)
• Stranger Kaddish (Aardwolf Publishing, 1997)
• Heroes and Villains (with Neal Adams), (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2005)
• Balm in Gilead (Mahrwood Press, 2007)
• The Uncanny Dave Cockrum (Aardwolf Publishing, 2007)
• Nightwings by Robert Silverberg (IDW Publishing, New Classics of the Fantastic, 2008)
• Hothouse by Brian Aldiss (IDW Publishing, New Classics of the Fantastic, 2009)
• Dare by Philip Jose Farmer (IDW Publishing, New Classics of the Fantastic, 2009)
• Rogue Dragon by Avram Davidson (IDW Publishing, New Classics of the Fantastic, 2009)
• Lori by Robert Bloch (IDW Publishing, New Classics of the Fantastic, 2009)
• The Invincible Gene Colan (Marvel Entertainment, 2010)

Audio[link]

In 2008, the album Caged by Septimus Orion included a recording of Meth's short story "Queers", accompanied by music and sound effects.^{[citation needed]}

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Clifford Meth at the Comic Book DB
• Everyone's Wrong and I'm Right, The Clifford Meth Blog
• Clifford Meth : One Small Voice, Official website
• Cliff Meth's "Past Masters" column
• 5 Questions with Clifford Meth, Wizard (magazine) Official Website, May 15, 2008
• Clifford Meth on One Small Voice, Newsarama, December 13, 2007
• Horror Yearbook: Interview with Clifford Meth, Horror Yearbook, Dec. 13, 2007
• Interview with Clifford Meth and Rufus Dayglo regarding Snaked, Comics Bulletin, November 27, 2007
• Clifford Meth: Of Snakes and Paradigms, Comics Bulletin, October 10, 2007
• Crystal Meth: An Interview with Clifford Meth, Comics Bulletin, February 23, 2005
• Clifford Meth talks Cockrum Tribute and god's 15 Minutes, Comic Book Resources, March 30, 2004
• The SideKick Foundation: A New Friend to Creators in Need , Official blog October 9, 2011