A burrowing, nocturnal African mammal that digs out ants and termites with powerful claws and collects them with a long, sticky tongue. It’s the only living member of its order, related to elephants and manatees.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Insects only
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
A nocturnal burrower that may walk some way from its burrow each night to forage.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?In places
Some people hunt aardvarks for meat.
At a glance
Found inAfrica
HabitatGrassland, Scrub, Forest
ColoursGrey, Pink, Brown
SizeMedium
Length100–158 cm
Weight40–82 kg
Legs4
Covered inSkin
Lives alone
Lives for18–23 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Much of the southern two-thirds of Africa, avoiding rocky areas.
- What it eats
- Almost only ants and termites.
Did you know
Can eat up to 50,000 ants and termites in a single night.
Its name is Afrikaans for “earth pig”.
Often confused with
- Anteater
The aardvark is sometimes called an anteater, but it isn’t related to the South American anteaters.
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