This powerpoint will tell you all you need to know about aardvarks

1. AARDVARKS
(ORYCTEROPUS AFER)

2. HABITAT
Aardvarks live in Africa, south of the Saharan
Desert.
 Their natural habitat
is the dry savanna.


3. DIET
Aardvarks are omnivores. They eat both plants
and other animals (mostly bugs).
 It specializes in eating termites. Its long snout
was made to press against termite mounds and
suck up the termites. Its tongue is 12 inches
long (1 foot), which makes it easier to reach into
the mound.
 They will also dig into the mound if they have
to, sometimes digging as fast as two feet per 15
seconds.


4. DO THEY TRAVEL IN PACKS?
No, most of the time, aardvarks travel alone.
 When they aren’t alone it is usually because
they are travelling with their family (their
mate and/or their child)


5. OFFSPRING
An aardvark can only have one offspring per
year.
 They carry their babies for about 7 months
before they are born.


6. BEHAVIOR
Aardvarks are generally antisocial.
 They are also nocturnal, but will come out in
the day.
 Their sleeping habits include blocking the
entrance to their burrow and curling into a
ball.


7. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Hairless with arched back and short neck.
 Short legs with the front legs being shorter than
the back legs
 The head is elongated with a long nose. The
nostrils can be sealed.
 Long tubular ears, which may or may not stand
upright.
 Thick claws on forefeet, meant for digging.
 Short, muscular tail which tapers to a point.
 Weighs 88 to 143 pounds.


9. LIFESPAN
Aardvarks live up to 23 years, on average, in
captivity.
 Many will live less time in the wild due to
predators.


10. PREDATORS
Their top predators are human.
 Others include lions, leopards, hyenas and
pythons


11. OTHER DANGERS TO THE AARDVARK
They are hunted by many African tribes for
meat. Some tribes believe the teeth from an
aardvark prevent illness.
 As humans grow and expand across the
world, many animals, like the aardvark will
lose their habitats.


12. RANDOM FACTS
They can suck up over 50,000 insects in one
sitting
 Its common names are: Antbear, anteater, cape
anteater, earth hog, and earth pig
 The term “aardvark” actually comes from the
African language, Afrikaans, meaning “earth
pig”.
 It has no relation to the common farm pig.
 Male aardvarks can grow to weigh as much as a
fully grown man.
