Aardwolf Species Profile: The Termite-eating Hyena of East Africa

Many visitors have never heard of the aardwolf, and fewer have seen one. It forages alone after dark on open plains, a slim, striped, long-legged animal with a mane that bristles when it is alarmed. Its name means earth wolf in Afrikaans, but it is neither a wolf nor a fierce hunter.

This profile explains what makes the aardwolf special, how it feeds, where it lives and how to improve your chances of seeing one. Read the larger cousin in the hyena species profile and the spotted hyena facts page for contrast.

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

The aardwolf looks like a slender, long-legged jackal or small striped hyena. It has a yellowish coat with several black vertical stripes on the flanks and legs, a black-tipped bushy tail and a mane of long hair along the neck and back that it can raise to look much bigger when threatened. The muzzle is narrow, the ears are large and pointed, and the teeth are small and peg-like, quite unlike the bone-crushing jaws of its relatives. It is much smaller than the spotted hyena, roughly the size of a medium dog.

A Termite Specialist

The aardwolf is a specialised insect-eater. Its main food is a type of harvester termite that forages on the surface of the ground at night, and the animal licks them up with a broad, sticky tongue, taking up large numbers in a single session. It is often said that an aardwolf can eat as many as two hundred thousand termites in one night, which is a figure repeated in many field guides. It resists the termites' chemical defences, and may also take other insects and larvae. It is not a threat to livestock, despite a persistent myth among some farmers.

Night Life and Territory

Aardwolves are nocturnal and generally solitary when foraging, covering many kilometres in a night. In cool seasons they may move earlier in the evening or even become active in daylight. Pairs usually share a territory, which they mark with scent paste from the anal glands on grass stalks and with dung middens. Territories are defended against intruders by chases and, when necessary, by erecting the mane and growling. When faced by a predator, the aardwolf can release a foul-smelling fluid from its anal glands.

Dens and Cubs

During the day the aardwolf shelters in a burrow, often an enlarged den taken over from an aardvark, springhare or porcupine. Females give birth to two to four cubs in a den, and the cubs spend the first weeks underground, emerging once they are older and more mobile. The young are weaned onto termites and may stay with their parents until the next breeding season. Males help to guard the den and territory, and the pair often remains together for several years.

Range and Threats

There are two separate populations, one in eastern and north-eastern Africa and another in southern Africa, separated by a gap of woodland. In East Africa the aardwolf is found in the grassland and dry bush of Kenya and Tanzania, and it is seldom recorded in Uganda. It is not globally threatened, and it is widespread, but its dependence on termites makes it vulnerable to pesticide use on termite mounds and to fires that damage habitat. Some are killed on roads or mistaken for hyenas. Protected areas and conservancies are important safe zones.

Where to See an Aardwolf

Sightings are often the result of luck and good guiding. Night drives in private conservancies bordering the Masai Mara offer a realistic chance, as do the plains of the Serengeti, parts of Tarangire and Amboseli. Read East Africa night drives and walking safaris to see where after-dark activities are permitted, since most national parks restrict them.

Photography and Related Species

Aardwolves are wary, so keep lights low, work from a stationary vehicle and avoid flash. A fast prime lens and high ISO give the best results. Other night animals to look for on the same outing include the bat-eared fox, jackals, aardvark and bushbabies, and our wildlife guide lists others.

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Related Tours, Guides and Resources

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