AARDWOLF

HYAENIDAE

COMMON NAME	FAMILY	GENUS	SCIENTIFIC NAME	SUB SPECIES - 0
AARDWOLF	Hyaenidae	Proteles	Proteles cristata
The aardwolf (Proteles cristata) is a small, insectivorous mammal, native to East Africa and Southern Africa. Its name means "earth wolf" in the Afrikaans / Dutch language. It is also called "maanhaar jackal", or civet hyena, based on the secretions (civet) from their anal glands. The aardwolf is in the same family as the hyenas. Unlike its relatives in the order Carnivora, the aardwolf does not hunt large animals, or even eat meat on a regular basis; instead it eats insects, mainly termites - one aardwolf can eat about 200,000 termites during a single night by using its long, sticky tongue to capture them. The aardwolf lives in the scrub lands of eastern and southern Africa - these are open lands covered with stunted trees and shrubs. The aardwolf is nocturnal, resting in burrows during the day and emerging at night to seek food. Their diet consists mainly of termites, insect larvae, and the carrion of larger animals.