They can however be territorial and when fighting or protecting themselves or of their cubs, are known to produce unusually loud barks and growls for a creature of their size. They can eat hundreds of thousands of termites in a single night! Due to the fact that the Aardwolf is so specifically adapted to such a diet, their cheek teeth have been reduced to small pegs to help crush the termites and their canines, though very sharp, are small and thin.Īardwolves are mainly solitary animals and usually avoid others so as not to attract attention to themselves.

Once they have located the termites, they use their broad, sticky tongue to lap up the insects off the ground, much like a cat lapping milk.

Aardwolves have a particularly well developed sense of hearing and they can hear the sound of termites cutting grass from a long distance away.Īardwolves primarily forage for harvester termites which are both nocturnal and abundant throughout the different seasons. Due to their small size, they try to make as little noise as possible and track the termites by sound. They are considered weak diggers but extend existing burrows to make suitable dens.Īt sunset they leave their burrows and quietly forage across the open grasslands for termites. They spend the day in burrows which have been created by aardvarks and other digging animals. They are often found in the drier grasslands where antelope and cattle have over-grazed and thus are extremely important in maintaining the ecosystem balance by keeping termite numbers down.Īardwolves are strictly nocturnal foragers. Aardwolves feed almost entirely on termites and rely completely on the open, savannah grasslands where termite colonies are common. Their range is determined by the availability of their food source, namely termites. Their mane and tail are very bushy and their reddish brown colour accentuates the dark stripes on their legs and torso. They resemble a miniature striped Hyena with a slender build and the typical sloping back of other Hyenas. Cubs can be predated on by black-backed jackalsĪardwolves are the smallest of all Hyenas, standing at approximately 45cm tall. Small and slender with a reddish brown colour and darker stripes on the torso and legsĪlmost exclusively eats termites, but may feed opportunistically on carrion and eggs if desperate

Up to 80cm long (plus tail) and height 45cm Southern, Eastern and North-Eastern Africa Unlike other hyenas, they are insectivorous. Two separate populations exist one in Southern Africa and the other in East Africa. Their name means “Earth Wolf” in the South African Afrikaans language.Īardwolves are found only in Africa and have a very specific distribution. The Aardwolf is a member of the Hyena family, which also includes the spotted hyena, brown hyena and striped hyena.

Shoebill duck noise