Aardwolf
The aardwolf (Proteles cristata) is a small, striped member of the hyena family that eats termites. Its name means 'earth wolf' in Afrikaans, and it lives on the grasslands and savannas of eastern and southern Africa.
The aardwolf (Proteles cristata) is a small, striped member of the hyena family that eats termites. Its name means "earth wolf" in Afrikaans, and it lives on the grasslands and savannas of eastern and southern Africa.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Aardwolf in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Evolutionary lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
A Hyena That Eats Termites
The aardwolf licks up harvester termites from the surface with its broad, sticky tongue, taking up to a few hundred thousand in a night. Its teeth are small and reduced and are not used for chewing the soft insects.
Resisting the Chemical Defenses
It avoids the species of termites that are strongly defended by chemicals and soldiers, and eats the ones that forage in the open at night.
Hyena Family
The aardwolf is a member of the hyena family and is related to the spotted hyena. See Spotted Hyena.
Aardwolf at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Proteles cristata |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Suborder | Feliformia |
| Family | Hyaenidae |
| Field Guide group | Evolutionary Oddities (Unique & Disputed Lineages) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Slender, striped African nocturnal mammal with a long erectile dorsal mane, simplified peg-like cheek teeth, and a broad, sticky tongue specialized for lapping up to 250,000 harvester termites in a single night. |
| IUCN Red List status | Least Concern (LC), assessed 2015 |
| Family | Hyaenidae |
| Diet | Termites |
See Also
- Spotted Hyena — a relative
- Aardvark — another termite eater