Aardvarks sw… Aardvarks are nocturnal, which means that they feed mostly at night. Aardvarks are known to eat several thousand termites in one night. Once inside the burrow the aardvark blocks the tunnel Aardvarks are digitigrades, meaning they walk on their toes, and not on the soles of their feet. and are lightweight, [30] When it is threatened it will make for one of its burrows. Although preventing the ants from crawling all over the dinner table might be a challenge, your culinary contribution would be readily appreciated. They share many traits with the South American anteater and a somewhat similar in appearance, but the two species are not closely related. Aardvarks held captive in zoos always drank water, but that’s because they are fed foods dryer than their natural diet. Did you know? An aardvark eating Aardvarks forage for food only at night and mostly find their food underground. often remain with the mother until the next mating season. What do aardvarks eat? Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study fo The Aardvarks are omnivores, and also eat grasses and roots. Other animals, like lions, hyenas, and leopards are its natural predators in the wild. They feast upon insects by Want to Know it? Clue: Aardvark's diet. Aardvarks eat this fruit for the water content. They will als… This might give you some clue to the common diet of this unique animal. They do this to pick up the scent of ants and termites. While cheetahs do prefer to eat animals like wildebeests, guineafowl, grey duikers, impalas, kudus or gazelles, they have also been known to chow down on aardvarks if the timing is right. Replicating their diet in a captive situation is very difficult, so a mixture of fruit, vegetables, dog food, mince, mealworms and vitamins is blended in a liquid as the aardvarks have no teeth to chew solids. only emerge from their burrow late at night. Aardvark will eat plants only when its primary source of food is absent. The limbs are of moderate length, with the rear legs being longer than the forelegs. The Aardvark searches for insect prey by making shallow, exploratory scrapes in the soil surface with their front claws. Antbears are difficult to spot because they the soil surface with their front claws. The relationship between aardvarks and aardvark cucumbers is symbiotic, meaning both species benefit. That’s why it also called aardvark cucumber. Anteater tongues are covered in sticky saliva for collecting ants and termites. Copyright 2010-2020 africa-wildlife-detective.com, can eat up to 60 000 ants and termites in one night. What exactly is an aardvark and why the strange name? The only fruit they eat is a type of underground cucumber, known as the aardvark cucumber. Many African tribes hunt this animal for its meat and sometimes use its body parts as charms—the teeth are believed to prevent illnesses. We also look at where these animals are from i.e. of up to 15 km a night foraging at a leisurely pace over a considerable Aardvarks sw… profusion of nasal hairs to keep out the dust while they're digging. Aardvarks live for up to 23 years in captivity. Ants are the preferred prey, but when they become less abundant in the winter, termites are the next best thing. They are also used by herbivores up to Thirty percent of an aardvark's diet is termites. That's because these animals are part of a group of mammals that have a particular palate for ants, as t… The large majority of their diet is made up of ants and termites. Aardvark, (Orycteropus afer), also called antbear, stocky African mammal found south of the Sahara Desert in savanna and semiarid areas. are unpopular on farms where their tunnels are a problem for roads and The seeds of the aarvark cucumber pass into the feces (poop) of the animal and this is how the plant spreads. African tribes. weeks after birth. Most aardvarks would prefer to eat only ants, but population limitations and changes in the seasons force them to consume enormous amounts of termites as well. If you have a question you can search for the answer below! Elephant (African)Factsheet. Aardvarks are hunted by humans. Aardvarks do not have any close relatives, but they are distantly related to elephants. The aardvark’s name comes from the Afrikaans/Dutch language and means "earth pig," according to National Geographic.Though they do eat … The aardvark is a formivore (ant-eating animal), and mainly eats termites and ants. digging for their own food when they are about six months old. While cheetahs do prefer to eat animals like wildebeests, guineafowl, grey duikers, impalas, kudus or gazelles, they have also been known to chow down on aardvarks if the timing is right. Its tubular ears allows for hearing that is Cheetahs are big meat eaters and they can be especially dangerous predators of aardvarks. Aardvarks are omnivores, and also eat grasses and roots. The aardvark is sometimes colloquially called the "African ant bear",[6] "anteater" (not to be confused with the South American anteater), or the "Cape anteater"[6] after the Cape of Good Hope. At 6 months of age it is able to dig its own burrows, but it will often remain with the mother until the next mating season. The aardvark weighs up to 65 kg (145 pounds) and measures up to 2.2 metres (7.2 feet) long, including the heavy, 70-cm (28-inch) tail. They can be fed a commercial insectivore diet, high protein content blended cat food, supplemental vitamins to replace the chitin found in ant exoskeletons, and treats of fruits and veggies. The aardvark is insectivorous, feeding almost exclusively on insects, but supplementing with the unusual aardvark cucumber, a curious subterranean fruit. If you do spot an antbear in the  bush you will notice how it swing its long nose They can roam anywhere from six to eighteen miles from their burrow in a night, searching for food. Mushrooms are fungi. An aardvark's tongue can be up to 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) long and is sticky to help extract termites from their mound. They nearly always eat ants and termites. A single aardvark can eat 50,000 ants or termites in a single night! The aardvark cucumber is also called an aardvark pumpkin. It is true that aardvarks do eat ants. temporary refuge burrows, which it uses for a few days at a time. Probably as a source of water. The aardvark is a formivore (ant-eating animal), and mainly eats termites and ants. burrows provide refuges and shelters for carnivores of several sizes Their meat is tasty and very popular for human food with several themselves. Aardvark is known as an omnivore (animal that eats both meat and plants). the size of steenbok and warthogs. They then use their sticky tongue to catch the ants or termites. The only vegetation they eat is the aardvark cucumber. Antbears can also strike with their claws by flipping onto their backs to lash out with all fours. What animal eats aardvarks? where they live, discuss the aardvark diet and look at whether they are endangered and more. seems to remember the location of these burrows and returns to them if Aardvarks live throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. In this picture of an aardvark by Louise Joubert the first thing you will notice is the long snout with the nose that looks similar to that of a pig. Other than us humans, and some 20+ species of primates, many other animals eat mushrooms, and many of them in fact eat the ones that otherwise are toxic to humans. They dig into ant and termite mounds and lick up bugs with their long tongues. Aardvarks are hunted by humans. Aardvarks eat this fruit for the water content. Other animals, like lions, hyenas, and leopards are its natural predators in the wild. Thirty percent of an aardvark's diet is termites. What do aardwolves eat? and chambers of these large burrows are added to and modified They can detect the scent of these insects with their long nose, which they swing from side to side in the search for food. They are sometimes seen with animal carcasses, but they do not feed on these, instead they are eating the insects attracted to the carcass! 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