Aardvark
Burrowing mammal native to Africa / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Aardvark?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Aardvarks (/ˈɑːrdvɑːrk/ ARD-vark; Orycteropus afer) are medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammals native to Africa.[2][3] They have a long snout, similar to that of a pig, which is used to sniff out food.
Aardvark | |
---|---|
Aardvark in the Bushveld, Limpopo | |
At Royal Burgers' Zoo, Arnhem, Netherlands | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Tubulidentata |
Family: | Orycteropodidae |
Genus: | Orycteropus |
Species: | O. afer |
Binomial name | |
Orycteropus afer (Pallas, 1766) | |
Subspecies | |
See text | |
Aardvark range |
Aardvarks are the only living species of the order Tubulidentata,[4][5] although other prehistoric species and genera of Tubulidentata are known. They are afrotheres, a clade that also includes elephants, manatees, and hyraxes.
They are found over much of the southern two-thirds of the African continent, avoiding areas that are mainly rocky. Nocturnal feeders, aardvarks subsist on ants and termites by using their sharp claws and powerful legs to dig the insects out of their hills. Aardvarks also dig to create burrows in which to live and rear their young.
Aardvarks are listed as "least concern" by the IUCN, although their numbers are decreasing.