# Aardvark — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Orycteropus afer (Pallas, 1766)*

> The aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is the only living species of its order, a nocturnal insectivore of sub-Saharan Africa listed as Least Concern; it digs for termites and its burrows shelter dozens of other species.

**IUCN status:** Least Concern (IUCN, 2016)  ·  **WARN range:** Sub-Saharan Africa

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Weight | 40–65 kg |
| Diet | Ants and termites — up to 50,000 per night |
| Tongue | Up to 30 cm — sticky for lapping insects |
| Activity | Strictly nocturnal and solitary |
| Burrows | Up to 13 m long; used by many other species |
| CITES | Not listed |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Tubulidentata
- **Family:** Orycteropodidae
- **Species:** Orycteropus afer (Pallas, 1766)

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Least Concern (IUCN, 2016). Stable across most of sub-Saharan Africa.
- **Population:** No global estimate; widespread and locally common
- **Trend:** Stable globally; decreasing locally from hunting and pesticides
- **Assessed:** 2016
- **CITES:** Not listed under CITES

## Key facts: Aardvark
- Aardvarks are the only living species of the order Tubulidentata.
- They eat up to 50,000 termites in a single night using a 30 cm tongue.
- Abandoned aardvark burrows shelter warthogs, hyenas, pythons and wild dogs.
- Aardvarks are strictly nocturnal and solitary.
- Pesticide use on termites and bushmeat hunting are the main threats.
- Their name means 'earth pig' in Afrikaans — a reference to their digging habit.

## An evolutionary oddity
The aardvark occupies its own order, Tubulidentata, with no close living relatives. Genetic studies suggest affinity with elephants, hyraxes and sirenians — the superorder Afrotheria. Its teeth are unique: hexagonal prisms of dentine without enamel, which grow continuously and are worn down by ingested soil. The body combines features that confuse casual observers: a long tubular snout, elongated ears, a thick tail and powerful digging claws.

Aardvarks range across sub-Saharan Africa wherever termites and ants are abundant, from open savanna to woodland.

## Termite hunting by night
Aardvarks leave their burrows after dark to forage, covering several kilometres per night. They detect termite and ant colonies by smell, then rip open mounds and runways with chisel-like claws. A sticky tongue up to 30 cm long laps up insects — an adult may consume 50,000 in one night.

Aardvarks also eat the aardvark cucumber (Cucumis humifructus), the only fruit whose seeds are dispersed exclusively by aardvarks. During the day they sleep in self-dug burrows up to 13 m long, entering tail-first.

## Burrows and ecosystem services
Aardvark burrows are a critical resource for other species. Warthogs, porcupines, hyenas, wild dogs and pythons use abandoned or shared burrows for shelter and denning. In arid areas, burrows provide the only shade and refuge for smaller animals. Aardvarks therefore act as ecosystem engineers — their digging aerates soil, recycles nutrients and creates habitat. Declining aardvark populations may cascade to dependent species.

## Conservation status
The IUCN lists the aardvark as Least Concern with a stable population across most of its range. Local declines occur from bushmeat hunting, road mortality and pesticide use that reduces termite prey. Aardvarks are not listed under CITES. Because they are solitary and nocturnal, population trends are hard to monitor. Protecting insect-rich habitat and reducing indiscriminate pesticide application benefit aardvarks and the species that depend on their burrows.

## Related WARN guides
Aardvarks are African ecosystem engineers — read WARN's hyena guide for aardwolf relatives, elephant page for other African oddities, and armadillo guide for burrowing mammals elsewhere.

Beaver and warthog pages cover other species whose burrows shelter neighbours.

Termite mound landscapes depend on aardvark digging.

## What WARN does
WARN publishes this aardvark guide as free public education. Ecosystem engineers like aardvarks illustrate how losing one species can affect many others — a principle central to habitat protection.

If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.

## Frequently asked questions: Aardvark
### What does an aardvark eat?
Aardvarks eat ants and termites almost exclusively, consuming up to 50,000 insects per night. They also eat the aardvark cucumber, a fruit whose seeds they alone disperse.

### Is an aardvark related to an anteater?
No. Despite similar diets, aardvarks (Africa) and anteaters (South America) evolved independently — convergent evolution. Aardvarks belong to Afrotheria; anteaters to Xenarthra.

### Why are aardvark burrows important?
Abandoned aardvark burrows provide shelter for warthogs, hyenas, pythons, porcupines and wild dogs. In arid regions, burrows are often the only refuge from heat and predators.

### Are aardvarks endangered?
Aardvarks are Least Concern globally. Local declines occur from bushmeat hunting and pesticide use, but the species remains widespread across sub-Saharan Africa.

### Are aardvarks active during the day?
No. Aardvarks are strictly nocturnal, leaving burrows after dark to forage for termites and ants. They sleep underground during the day.

### How many aardvark species exist?
One — Orycteropus afer. It is the sole living member of the order Tubulidentata, making it one of the most evolutionarily distinctive mammals alive.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Orycteropus afer](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41504/115130733)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — aardvark](https://www.britannica.com/animal/aardvark)
- [San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance — aardvark](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/aardvark)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/aardvark