Name:	Proteles cristatus
Mass:	8-12kg (20-31 lbs)
Height:	40-50cm at shoulder
Range:	eastern and southern Africa
Life Span:	14 years in captivity
Status:	no special status

The aardwolf has a yellowish brown coat with several vertical black stripes, a bushy, black tipped tail with a long, coarse, dark haired stripe on it's back, which rises when the aardwolf feels threatened or scared. The aardwolf stands at 40-50 cm from the shoulder with a tail length of 20-25 cm (8-12") and has a length of 65-80cm (22-31") from nose to tail and weighs between 8 to 12 kg (20-31 kg). It resembles a small striped hyena.





Found in eastern and southern Africa, the aardwolf prefers arid, open plains, savannas and grasslands where it lives in burrows in the ground. There are two geographically separate populations of aardwolves, one centered in South Africa and the other extending from central Tanzania northward to southern Egypt.

This usual species of hyena is a termite eater. So highly adapted to eating termites, the aardwolf's teeth, except for its canines, have dwindled to mere pegs incapable of even chewing meat. Its fangs are still well developed, and it uses them to defend its territory from other aardwolves.

90% of an aardwolf's diet consists of two species of termites, one of which goes dormant during the cooler winter, so the aardwolf then switch to the other species for nourishment. This limited diet means the aardwolf has a very restricted range and can only live where these two species of termites are abundant. On an average night an aardwolf can consume anywhere from 200,000 to 300,000 termites. By using their acute hearing the aardwolf is able to detect termites in the ground and then using their broad, sticky tongue they lap them up. The aardwolf also is known to eat other insects, mice, small birds, eggs, and carrion.

Aardwolves are nocturnal, solitary foragers, only coming together to mate and rear young. They are sometimes seen in pairs or small groups. The aardwolf has never developed a clan system like the spotted and striped hyenas because of their strict diet of termites. Since food cannot be shared or brought back to the den, aardwolves must travel and forage by themselves. The aardwolf lives in burrows, and in most cases these burrows are taken from aardvarks because they are in close proximity to an abundant supply of termites.





Since the male and female aardwolf are solitary, shy and elusive not much is known about their social behavior, but it is believed that mating occurs throughout the year. Gestation lasts for 90-100 days and 2 to 4 cubs are produced. When the cubs are weaned both parents feed them regurgitated termites.

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