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Aardvark
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Aardvark
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| The Aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing,
nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is sometimes called "antbear",
"anteater", "Cape anteater" (after the Cape of Good Hope), "earth hog" or
"earth pig". The name comes from the Afrikaans/Dutch for "earth pig" (aarde
earth, varken pig), because early settlers from Europe thought it
resembled a domesticated pig. However, the aardvark is not closely related
to the pig; rather, it is the sole recent representative of the obscure
mammalian order Tubulidentata. The aardvark is nocturnal and is a solitary creature that feeds almost exclusively on ants and termites. An aardvark emerges from its burrow in the late afternoon or shortly after sunset, and forages over a considerable home range encompassing 10 to 30 kilometers, swinging its long nose from side to side to pick up the scent of food. When a concentration of ants or termites is detected, the aardvark digs into it with its powerful front legs, keeping its long ears upright to listen for predators, and takes up an astonishing number of insects with its long, sticky tongue—as many as 50,000 in one night have been recorded. The aardvark's main predators are lions, leopards, hunting dogs and pythons. 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. |
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