Ever heard of an aardwolf? If the answer is no then prepare yourself for the most adorable animal you never even knew existed.
These wild animals come from the same family as the hyena, which explains why they look so similar, but unlike their bone-chomping cousins, aardwolves prefer to munch on termites, much like an aardvark (the word “aard” actually comes from the Dutch word “aarde” by the way, which means earth).
They’re native to East and Southern Africa, where they live in underground burrows. These unique animals often don’t dig the holes themselves, however, preferring to inhabit abandoned burrows of other animals. They’re shy and nocturnal creatures, although during the winter they’ll conserve energy by sleeping at night and feeding during the day. These cute animals have long sticky tongues which they use to lap up thousands of termites. A single aardwolf can eat up to 300,000 termites per night! An adult aardwolf grows to roughly the same size as a fox, and being monogamous creatures, they stay with the same mate for their entire lifetime. Did we also mention these interesting animals were super cute? Well, they are. Scroll down to see these unusual animals for yourself.
This little critter is a baby aardwolf
Image credits: arkive
The adults are just as cute as the babies
Image credits: Unknown
Aardwolves come from the same family as the hyena, but these guys have mohawks!
Image credits: Unknown
Unlike their bone-chomping cousins, aardwolves prefer to munch on termites
Image credits: Hennie van Heerden
They’re nocturnal creatures and they live in underground burrows in East and Southern Africa
Image credits: Unknown
Scientists once thought they were solitary creatures, but actually they’re very family oriented
Image credits: Ohange Namibia Lodge
They often don’t dig the holes themselves however, preferring to inhabit abandoned burrows of other animals
Image credits: Daryl Balfour
They have long sticky tongues which they use to lap up thousands of termites
Image credits: Nigel J Dennis
A single aardwolf can eat up to 300,000 termites per night!
Image credits: Cincinnati zoo
An adult grows to roughly the same size as a fox
Image credits: Animals-Safaris
Being monogamous creatures, they stay with the same mate for their entire lifetime
Image credits: Gerard Lacz
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