The nocturnal mammal similar to a hyena that feeds almost exclusively on termites is the aardwolf.
The aardwolf, Proteles cristatus, is a member of the hyena family, Hyaenidae, but it is not a predator of large animals. Its name means “earth-wolf” in Afrikaans and Dutch. Unlike spotted and striped hyenas, aardwolves specialize in eating termites and other small insects, using a long, sticky tongue to collect them from the ground.
An aardwolf can consume hundreds of thousands of termites in a night. It usually targets harvester termites and does not destroy the entire colony, allowing the food source to recover. Its tongue is tough enough to tolerate termite bites, and the animal’s teeth are reduced compared with those of meat-eating hyenas.
Aardwolves live in eastern and southern Africa, where they occupy dry grasslands and bushland. They rest in burrows during the day and forage alone at night, although pairs maintain territories and raise young together. The animal is sometimes mistakenly believed to eat carrion or livestock, but it is primarily an insectivore and is classified by the IUCN as Least Concern.