AARDVARK - Definition & Meaning for Kids

📖 Fun Facts About Aardvark

• • Aardvarks are sometimes called "ant bears", "earth pigs", and "cape anteaters"
• • Aardvarks have rather primitive brains that are very small for the size of the animal. Some have suggested they are not particularly bright....
• • Aardvarks teeth are lined with fine upright tubes and have no roots or enamel.
• • The aardvarks Latin family name "Tubulidentata" means "tube toothed"
• • Baby aardvarks are born with front teeth that fall out and never grow back.
• • Aardvarks are living fossils not having changed for millions of years.
• • Aardvarks will occasionally stand, and even take a step or two, on their hind legs
• • Aardvarks can  use their powerful tails as a whip-like weapon of defense.
• • Their name means ‘Earth Pig’. And for good reason. These animals are quite pig-like in appearance, and spend a lot of time snuffling and digging in the ground.
• • Aardvarks are also named after their long mouths. This name refers to the jaw of the aardvark, which is fused all the way along, into a relatively toothless tube.
• • They’re well adapted for the heat. Aardvarks have spare body hair, with each follicle grouped into clusters of three or four.
• • They are solitary animals and nocturnal feeders. Aardvarks really don’t spend a lot of time around one another. They tend to roam around on their own, and only come together when it’s time to mate. They don’t even seem to be particularly territorial, tending to tolerate other individuals in the same area without a fuss.
• • They can burrow at an alarming rate!. Since these are digging animals, they tend to avoid rocky outcrops. When digging burrows, they’ve been known to be able to dig 60cm (2ft) in just fifteen seconds. They dig these burrows for shelter and to hide their young.
• • Their burrows help save other animals lives. Aardvarks dig a number of burrows to aid as refuge when foraging. These extra burrows are used by other animals during wildfire season, where they might otherwise die from fire.
• • Aardvarks have four toes on their front feet and five on their back feet. Each toe has a large nail, and they look somewhere between a claw and a hoof, which help them dig.
• • They have a sticky 45cm tongue!. When looking for food, a foraging aardvark will trot in zig-zags across areas of around thirty meters, continuously sniffing the ground. Now and then they’ll quickly dig a little reconnaissance trench to investigate the possibility of termites.
• • Aardvarks have an exceptional sense of smell. This might not come as a surprise, considering the Aardvark head looks to be predominantly nose.
• • They’re a fan of cucumbers. Aside from termites and other insects, aardvarks have been known to partake in a member of the gourd family, consequently named the “aardvark cucumber”. In fact, this gourd seems to only be eaten by aardvarks, who then disperse the seeds, unaffected by their digestion, around the area.
• • Aardvark babies look a little like Dobby from Harry Potter. They have droopy ears, with hairless and wrinkled skin. So cute!
• • They’re thought to be declining in number. While they are classified as ‘least concern’ by the IUCN, their population is thought to be declining. However, because the aardvark is elusive, it’s hard to know their real numbers.
• • The aardvark is a primarily nocturnal animal native to Africa. It uses its sharp claws and powerful legs to dig out ants and termites as well as create burrows in which to live and raise young. A young aardvark at the San Diego zoo is digging a burrow as mom drops in to check on the progress.
• • Can move 2ft of soil in just 15 seconds!