1. Creature Feature

2. Aardvark (Orycteropus afer)

3. Fast Facts “Aardvark” means “earth pig” Burrowing, nocturnal mammal ~ 2 feet tall Sparse covering of coarse hair Poor eyesight Excellent hearing and sense of smell

4. Sleep in burrows during the day Predators include: – Lions – Leopards – Hunting dogs – Pythons Can live up to 24 yrs in captivity

5. Aardvark Anteater

6. Distribution Range of habitats include savannah, grasslands, woodlands, and bushlands

7. Feeding Each toe has a large shovel- like nail Forage over 6-18 miles from their burrow Seeks out ant or termite mounds Uses its long tongue to grab food Can eat up to 50,000 ants or termites in one night!

8. Reproduction Only pair during the breeding season Gestate for 7 months Give birth to one cub that weighs ~ 5 lbs. Babies can eat termites after 4 months

9. Fun Facts Kids show “Arthur” on PBS was based on an aardvark Stan Lee and Steve Ditko originally wanted a mammalian themed superhero to add to the Marvel Universe – "Aardvarkman" – superhero with the ability to control hordes of soldier ants – Soldier ant theme led to the creation of Spiderman – Supervillain Toad was eventually created from the failed artwork for Aardvarkman