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An aardvark with a long snout and big ears walking on red earth.
Photo: Kelly Abram, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Aardvark

Orycteropus afer

A shy, pig-sized African mammal with a long snout and sticky tongue that digs into ant and termite nests at night.

🦁 Mammals
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About the Aardvark

Aardvarks live in grasslands and savannas across sub-Saharan Africa. They are about the size of a small pig, 3.3 to 5.2 feet long, and weigh 88 to 180 pounds. They have thick skin, a long nose, a squarish head and muscular legs with thick claws. At night they walk 1 to 3 miles looking for ants and termites, then dig into the nests and sweep up insects with a long, sticky tongue.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Orycteropus afer[1]
Size
3.3 to 5.2 feet long.[1]
Weight
88 to 180 pounds.[1]
Lifespan
Up to 18 years in the wild.[1]
Diet
Mostly ants, plus termites.[1]
Habitat
Grassland and savanna with many ants and termites.[1]
Where it lives
Sub-Saharan Africa, except the western and central rainforests.[1]
Group life
Solitary and nocturnal.[1]
Babies
Usually one baby after about seven months.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2014).[2]

Fun facts

  • Aardvarks can walk up to 3 miles a night looking for food.[1]
  • They barely chew their food.[1]
  • Baby aardvarks follow their mothers at two weeks old.[1]

Vocabulary

myrmecophagous
Eating mostly ants and termites.
burrow
A hole or tunnel dug in the ground by an animal.
termite
A small insect that lives in large colonies and eats wood.
nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
least concern
A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

  1. [1] Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan. “Aardvark (Orycteropus afer).” https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Orycteropus_afer/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Orycteropus afer (Aardvark).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41504/21286437 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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