Definition: aardvark
An aardvark is a large mammal with a long snout, long ears, a long tail, and long fur mostly
around its legs. Aardvarks are active at night, when they use their powerful claws to dig open ant or termite nests.
They catch their food with their long, sticky tongue. Aardvarks live insouthern and central Africa. Although
they are sometimes called anteaters, aardvarks are not closely
related to any other kind of mammal.
Fun Facts
1."Aardvark", because it begins with the letters "aa", is the first word found in most English dictionaries.
2. Aardvarks are most closely related to the African elephant.
3. Other aardvark near relatives include shrews, hyraxes, and tenrecs. They also share a family with sirenians, which are animals like manatees.
4. The word aardvark comes from the Afrikaans language, spoken in South Africa and Namibia. It is made up of two Afrikaans words: "aard" which means "earth" or "ground," and "vark" which means "pig." So, "aardvark" literally translates to "earth pig".
5. Aardvarks usually weigh between 40 and 65 kilograms (88–143 lb). They are about 1 and 1.3 metres (3.3–4.3 ft) long. Including its tail, an aardvark can reach 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) in total length.
6. The main predators of aardvarks are leopards, lions, and pythons. Aardvarks can dig very fast or run in a zigzag pattern to escape enemies.
7. Aardvarks are powerful diggers. They can build a big burrow in 5 to 20 minutes. They also have sticky tongues, which help them catch bugs.