Aardwolf

Aardwolf, carnivorous mammal of southern and eastern Africa, closely related to the hyena. The aardwolf, whose name in Afrikaans means “earth wolf,” stands 45 to 50 cm (18 to 20 in) high at the shoulder. It has a body length of 50 to 80 cm (27 to 31 in) and a tail length of 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in). Adult animals weigh 9 to 14 kg (15 to 30 lb). The aardwolf is covered with long, coarse hair and soft underfur. It is light buff in color, with black bands.

At night the aardwolf leaves its burrow, traveling singly or in a group, to forage for insects. The aardwolf’s main food source is termites. One aardwolf can eat as many as 300,000 termites in a single night. Lacking strong forelegs, the aardwolf doesn’t reach termites by digging into their mounds, as an aardvark or anteater might do. Instead, it uses its long, sticky tongue to lick them from the surface of the ground. Foods less commonly consumed by the aardwolf include insect larvae, bird eggs, carrion, and small mammals.

When attacked, the aardwolf erects its mane, achieving a formidable appearance, and ejects a foul-smelling fluid from its anal glands. Having weak jaws and small teeth, however, it must use its sharp canines to fight off such enemies as the dog.

Toward December the female aardwolf finds a den--often the abandoned burrow of an aardvark--in which to bear her young. The gestation period of an aardwolf is 90 to 110 days, and litter sizes generally range from one to five young. Both parents raise the cubs. Young aardwolves are weaned by the age of three or four months and learn to forage by accompanying a parent. The aardwolf reaches sexual maturity at one to two years of age. The lifespan of an aardwolf in captivity is 13 to 14 years and the animals are thought to have a lifespan as long as 10 years in the wild.

Scientific classification: The aardwolf is classified as Proteles cristatus. It is usually placed in the hyena family, Hyaenidae. Some experts, however, place the aardwolf in a separate family, Protelidae, because of certain anatomical differences between the aardwolf and the hyena. For example, the aardwolf has five toes on its forefeet, whereas the hyena has four.