What nocturnal African mammal has a long snout and eats ants and termites? The answer is the aardvark. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, the aardvark is a burrowing mammal and the only living member of its order, Tubulidentata.
Its long, pig-like snout helps it locate insect colonies by smell, while powerful forelimbs and large claws break open termite mounds and ant nests. A sticky tongue, reaching roughly 30 centimeters, gathers the insects. An aardvark can consume tens of thousands of ants or termites in a night, although it avoids some aggressive species.
Despite its unusual appearance, the aardvark is not closely related to the South American anteater, armadillo, or pangolin. It belongs to the Afrotherian branch of mammal evolution, alongside animals such as elephants, manatees, and hyraxes. Aardvarks usually emerge around sunset, forage alone, and spend the daylight hours in burrows. Their abandoned burrows later provide shelter for animals including warthogs, mongooses, owls, and African wild dogs.