AARDVARK AND AARDWOLF DIFFERENCES

AARDVARK

This word means “earth pig” in Afrikaans and is derived from the Middle Dutch language. An aardvark is not a pig! Rather, it is a specialized carnivore that is the only living species of the carnivore mammal group known as tubulidentates. Arrdvarks belong to genus Orycteropus, and they live today mainly in southern Africa. They do not like rocky areas or soggy ground.

Aardvakrs are characterized by their stocky body, “naked” skin, long ears, pig-like tubular snout, extenable tongue, and powerful digging claws (hooves). These features are adaptations to its preference of feeding on termites and ants; thus arrdvarks can be referred to as insectivores. Some people refer to this animal as an anteater mammal, but it is actually a specialized carnivore mammal. The arrdvark and true anteaters (which belong to a totally different order, family, and species) are examples of convergent evolution: they have similar life habits, thus they resemble one another.

A representative specimen of the living aardvark from Africa (figure based on a figure on p. 58 of Savage and Long, 1986).

The aardvark is a nocturnal burrowing mammal. It is medium size (up to 2 feet tall at its shoulder) and weighs 88 to 140 pounds.

The fossil record of aardvarks is sparse. Its earliest known fossils are fragmentary remains from lower Miocene deposits in East Africa. It is also known as Miocene fossils in Frnace, Greece, Turkey, and India; as well as Pleistocene fossils from Madagascar.

AARDWOLF

This word means “earth-wolf” in Afrikaans. It is not a wolf! The scientific name of arrdwolves is Proteles cristata. It is a close relative of hyaenids, and like them, arrdwolves are carnivores. Furthermore, aardwolves represent specialized hyaneid with very reduced teeth adapted to feed only on termites and ants. Aardwolves are therefore more accurately described as insectivorous carnivores.

 

Individuals of Proteles cristata are about 3.5 feet long and weight between 17 and 30 pounds. Like its meat-eating hyaenids cousins (of which there are three living species), P. cristata has a posterior-sloping backbone, and a disproportionally large size of the forelimbs. Also, the fur of P. cristata has black stripes, like the majority of the other hyaenids. Proteles cristata is, however, smaller than its meat-eating cousins. Proteles cristata is a shy, nocturnal animal that lives on the arid plains of South and East Africa. There are no known fossils of aardwolves.

A representative specimen of the aardwolf Proteles cristata from Africa (figure based on a figure from on p. 61 from Savage and Long, 1986).  

Reference:

Savage, R.J.G. and M.R. Long. 1986. Mammal evolution, an illustrated guide. British Museum (Natural History), 259 pp.