Aardvark Profile: Africa's Nocturnal Termite Specialist

The name comes from Afrikaans and means earth pig, although the animal is not related to pigs. It belongs to its own order, and its closest relatives include elephants, hyraxes and manatees.

This profile explains how aardvarks live, what they eat, and why seeing one demands luck, a good guide and often a night drive.

This guide is part of our animals of Uganda and East Africa guide. When you are ready to plan, see our Uganda safari packages or the Ameera Africa Safaris Uganda tours homepage.

Identification

An aardvark has an arched back, a long tubular snout, tall donkey-like ears, a thick tapering tail and short legs with strong, spade-like claws. The skin is thick and sparsely covered with coarse hair, in colours ranging from pale grey-brown to reddish from soil staining. Adults are about the size of a small pig. The tongue is long and sticky, and the teeth are unusual, lacking enamel and growing continuously. Few other animals look similar, but porcupines and pangolins are sometimes confused with it at night.

Habitat and Burrows

Aardvarks occur across much of sub-Saharan Africa wherever there are termites and soil suitable for digging. They avoid very rocky ground, swamps and dense forests. A single animal digs several burrows within its range, using some for daily rest and others as refuges. Abandoned burrows are then used by warthogs, hyenas, porcupines, bats, pythons, birds and small carnivores, so aardvarks function as ecosystem engineers. Fresh heaps of soil at a burrow mouth suggest recent activity.

Diet and Foraging

Aardvarks feed almost entirely on termites and ants, which they locate by smell and dig out with rapid strokes of their claws. They close their nostrils against dust and use a tongue that can extend far to collect insects. A single animal can eat a huge number in a night. In some areas they eat a small cucumber-like fruit that depends on them for seed dispersal. Because they travel long distances while foraging, they may cover many kilometres in a night.

Behaviour and Social Life

Aardvarks are solitary and spend the day sleeping underground, emerging after dark to feed. Mothers give birth to a single young in a burrow, and the youngster follows her once it is old enough to leave. Aardvarks are quiet and wary, and when threatened they may run in a zigzag, dig quickly into the ground or lash out with their claws. Their main predators include lions, leopards, hyenas and pythons, though the young are especially vulnerable.

Threats and Conservation

Aardvarks are widespread and not currently regarded as globally threatened, but they are sensitive to habitat clearance, fires, pesticides that reduce termites, and hunting for bushmeat and traditional use. Fences and snares also cause deaths. Because they are hard to survey, long-term trends are poorly known. Protecting savanna habitat helps them along with many other species. See responsible travel.

Where to See Aardvarks

Honestly, most visitors never see one. East Africa's best chances come from night drives and walks where permitted, such as private conservancies in Kenya and Tanzania, and occasionally in the Serengeti and Tarangire regions. In Uganda, burrows can be seen in savanna parks like Lake Mburo and Kidepo, but the animals themselves are shy. Learn about options in night drives and walking safaris.

Viewing Tips

Choose lodges and conservancies with night-drive permits, keep voices low and use red-filtered lights if your guide offers them. Focus on the burrows by day, since fresh signs tell a story even if the animal stays hidden. See game drives explained.

Related Species

Compare it with the pangolin, the honey badger and the bat-eared fox, which also feeds on termites.

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• Uganda travel guide
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