Amazing facts about Aardvark:-
- Aardvark is the first word in your English dictionary, however, the name aardvark is not an English word. It comes from South Africa’s Afrikaans language and means ‘earth pig’ or ‘ground pig’.
- The aardvark can eat up to 60 000 ants and termites in one night with the help of its 30cm-long sticky tongue.
- They can seal their nostrils to keep out dust and ants.
- Aardvark has poor eyesight but has a better sense of smell and hearing.
- Aardvark's claws are like spoon-shaped and used to rip into extremely hard ground and termite mounds.
- Aardvark is nocturnal and travels up to 16km foraging for food every night.
- Aardvark grows up to 2 meters long and has weighed up to 60kg.
- Aardvarks like to live in open grasslands or savannahs where the soil is soft and sandy.
- Aardvarks are omnivorous. They are truly insectivores, eat termites and ants exclusively. When food is scarce aardvarks will eat other soft-bodied insects or wild melons.
- The aardvarks' long, rabbit-like ears are rotated backward while eating, listening for any sign of approaching danger.
- Aardvarks are not fast runner however they can quickly dig a defensive burrow.
- The aardvark’s tail is thick and robust and they can use it as a club. Their sharp claws are formidable weapons, and if caught in the open, the aardvark will roll on its back to engage all four feet in the fight.
- Aardvark is not social animals. They are solitary, nocturnal and only meet together during the breeding season.
