Aardvark
Orycteropus afer
IUCN Red List StatusLeast Concern
Orycteropus afer
These fantastic creatures are easily recognisable with their long snout and pointy ears. They have short, powerful limbs with shovel-shaped claws, making them excellent diggers. They have a very strong sense of smell and excellent hearing which makes up for their poor eyesight. Aardvarks are colourblind, but their eyes have developed in a way to give them great night vision.
Aardvarks are primarily nocturnal, spending most of the day sleeping in their burrow. When they’re awake they’re usually solitary animals, only coming together only to mate. Females will give birth after a gestation period of seven to nine months and for the first two weeks, the young remains in the burrow. It can dig for itself at the age of six months and will reach the size of an adult by twelve months.
Aardvarks play an important role in the ecosystem because their burrows provide shelter for many other animals, from birds to reptiles and even painted dogs. They also have a symbiotic relationship with an underground fruit, which means both species benefit from each other - the plant depends on the aardvark digging up and eating the fruit to disperse its seeds as it can’t disperse them itself!
