Aardvark Basic Facts

The aardvark is a pig-like mammal that lives south of the Sahara. It avoids living near rocky places and only lives in savanna's, grasslands's, woodland's, and bush land's. This animal will never live in a swamp forest. You cannot find the aardvark in Madagascar. It's scientific name is Orycteropus afer. This mammal is nocturnal and lives in burrows during the day to avoid heat. They eat ants, termites, and the aardvark cucumber(the only fruit they eat). The aardvark does not eat African pilot ants or red ants. It finds their food by sniffing it with their pig snout. The word "aardvark" means "earth pig/ground pig."  The animal's has an arched back and has 4 front toes and 5 back toes. It weighs 60-80 kilograms (130-180 pounds). From it's head to it's body, the length is 109-135 centimeters. It's tail is 66 centimeters long. The aardvark's fur colour is a yellowish-grey. After it has been in mud or soil, it's colour is a reddish-brown. This animal can swim pretty fast. It's closest relatives are gold moles, tenrecs, and elephants. The aardvark is not related to the pig or the South American Anteater.

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