Aardwolf

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For other uses, see Aardwolf (disambiguation).

Aardwolf

Temporal range: Pleistocene – Recent

An aardwolf in Namib-Nord, Namibia

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) [nb 1]

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Hyaenidae

Subfamily: Protelinae

Genus: Proteles
I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1824

Species: P. cristata

Binomial name

Proteles cristata

Sparrman, 1783

Aardwolf range
 Skeleton of an aardwolf displayed at Museum of Osteology.

The aardwolf (Proteles cristata) is a small, insectivorous mammal, native to East and Southern
Africa. Its name means "earth-wolf" in Afrikaans and Dutch.[2][3] It is also called "maanhaar-jackal"[4]
[5]
(Afrikaans for "mane-jackal"),"ant hyena" or civet hyena, based on its habit of secreting substances
from its anal gland, a characteristic shared with the African civet.[6] The aardwolf is in the same family
as the hyena. Unlike many of its relatives in the order Carnivora, the aardwolf does not hunt
large animals. It eats insects and their larvae,[7] mainly termites; one aardwolf can lap up as many as
250,000 termites during a single night using its long, sticky tongue. [8]
The aardwolf lives in the shrublands of eastern and southern Africa – open lands covered with
stunted trees and shrubs. It is nocturnal, resting in burrows during the day and emerging at night to
seek food.

Contents

 1Taxonomy
 2Etymology

 3Physical characteristics

 4Distribution and habitat

 5Behavior

o 5.1Feeding

o 5.2Breeding

 6Conservation

 7Interaction with humans

 8Notes

 9Footnotes

 10References

 11Further reading

 12External links

Taxonomy[edit]
The aardwolf is generally classified with the hyena family Hyaenidae, though it was formerly placed
in its own family Protelidae.[nb 2]Early on, scientists felt that it was merely mimicking the striped hyena,
which subsequently led to the creation of Protelidae. [10] Recent studies have suggested that the
aardwolf probably broke away from the rest of the hyena family early on; how early is still unclear, as
the fossil record and genetic studies disagree by 10 million years.[11][nb 3]
The aardwolf is the only surviving species in the subfamily Protelinae. There is disagreement as to
whether the species is monotypic.[12] or can be divided into subspecies P. c. cristatus of Southern
Africa and P. c. septentrionalis of East Africa.[6][13]

Etymology[edit]
The generic name proteles comes from two words both of Greek origin, protos and teleos which
combined means "complete in front" based on the fact that they have five toes on their front feet and
four on the rear.[6] The specific name, cristatus, comes from Latinand means "provided with a comb",
relating to their mane.[6]

Physical characteristics[edit]

Detail of head – taken at the Cincinnati Zoo

The aardwolf resembles a very thin striped hyena, but with a more-slender muzzle, black vertical
stripes on a coat of yellowish fur, and a long, distinct mane down the midline of the neck and back. It
also has one or two diagonal stripes down the fore- and hind-quarters, along with several stripes on
its legs.[13] The mane is raised during confrontations to make the aardwolf appear larger. It is missing
the throat spot that others in the family have.[6] Its lower leg (from the knee down) is all black, and its
tail is bushy with a black tip.[9]
The aardwolf is about 55 to 80 cm (22 to 31 in) long, excluding its bushy tail, which is about 20–
30 cm (7.9–11.8 in) long,[2][9] and stands about 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) tall at the shoulders.[14] An
adult aardwolf weighs approximately 7–10 kg (15–22 lb), sometimes reaching 15 kg (33 lb).[6] The
aardwolves in the south of the continent tend to be smaller (about 10 kg (22 lb))than the eastern
version (around 14 kg (31 lb)).[13] The front feet have five toes each, unlike the four-toed hyena. [2]
[15]
The teeth and skull are similar to those of other hyenas, though smaller, [14] and its cheek teeth are
specialised for eating insects.[2] It does still have canines, but, unlike other hyenas, these teeth are
used primarily for fighting and defense.[9] Its ears, which are large,[9] are very similar to those of the
striped hyena.[6]
As an aardwolf ages, it will normally lose some of its teeth, though this has little impact on its feeding
habits due to the softness of the insects that it eats. [7]
Aardwolf skull

Distribution and habitat[edit]

Aardwolves live in open, dry plains and bushland, avoiding mountainous areas.[9] Due to their specific
food requirements, they are only found in regions where termites of the family Hodotermitidae occur.
Termites of this family depend on dead and withered grass and are most populous in heavily
grazed grasslands and savannahs, including farmland. For most of the year, aardwolves spend time
in shared territories consisting of up to a dozen dens, which are occupied for six weeks at a time. [7]
There are two distinct populations: one in Southern Africa, and another in East and Northeast Africa.
The species does not occur in the intermediary miombo forests.
An adult pair, along with their most-recent offspring, occupies a territory of 1–4 km2 (0.39–
1.54 sq mi).[16]

Behavior[edit]

Aardwolf at the San Antonio Zoo

Aardwolves are shy and nocturnal, sleeping in underground burrows by day.[2] They will, on occasion
during the winter, become diurnal feeders. This happens during the coldest periods as they then stay
in at night to conserve heat. [17]
They have often been mistaken for solitary animals. In fact, they live as monogamous pairs with their
young.[18][19] If their territory is infringed upon, they will chase the intruder up to 400 m (1,300 ft) or to
the border.[16] If the intruder is caught, which rarely happens,[16] a fight will occur, which is
accompanied by soft clucking,[20] hoarse barking, and a type of roar. [21] The majority of incursions
occur during mating season, when they can occur once or twice per week. [21] When food is scarce,
the stringent territorial system may be abandoned and as many as three pairs may occupy a "single
territory".[21]
The territory is marked by both sexes, as they both have developed anal glands from which they
extrude a black substance that is smeared on rocks or grass stalks in 5-millimetre (0.20 in)-long
streaks.[21] Aardwolves also have scent glands on the forefoot and penile pad. [22]They often mark near
termite mounds within their territory every 20 minutes or so. If they are patrolling their territorial
boundaries, the marking frequency increases drastically, to once every 50 m (160 ft). At this rate, an
individual may mark 60 marks per hour,[21] and upwards of 200 per night.[16]
An aardwolf pair may have up to 10 dens, and numerous feces middens, within their territory. When
they deposit excreta at their middens, they dig a small hole and cover it with sand. Their dens are
usually abandoned aardvark, springhare, or porcupine dens,[20] or on occasion they are crevices in
rocks. They will also dig their own dens, or enlarge dens started by springhares. [21] They typically will
only use one or two dens at a time, rotating through all of their dens every six months. During the
summer, they may rest outside their den during the night, and sleep underground during the heat of
the day.
Aardwolves are not fast runners nor are they particularly adept at fighting off predators. Therefore,
when threatened, the aardwolf may attempt to mislead its foe by doubling back on its tracks. If
confronted, it may raise its mane in an attempt to appear more menacing. It also emits a foul-
smelling liquid from its anal glands.[14]
Feeding[edit]
The aardwolf feeds primarily on termites and more specifically on Trinervitermes.[8] This genus of
termites has different species throughout the aardwolf's range. In East Africa, they eat Trinervitermes
bettonianus, and in central Africa, they eat Trinervitermes rhodesiensis, and finally in southern Africa,
they eat T. trinervoides.[2][8][21] Their technique consists of licking them off the ground as opposed to
the aardvark, which digs into the mound.[17] They locate their food by sound and also from the scent
secreted by the soldier termites.[21] An aardwolf may consume up to 250,000 termites per night using
its sticky, long tongue.[8][7]
They do not destroy the termite mound or consume the entire colony, thus ensuring that the termites
can rebuild and provide a continuous supply of food. They often memorize the location of such nests
and return to them every few months.[20] During certain seasonal events, such as the onset of the
rainy season and the cold of midwinter, the primary termites become scarce, so the need for other
foods becomes pronounced. During these times, the southern aardwolf will seek
out Hodotermes mossambicus, a type of harvester termite[21] active in the afternoon, which explains
some of their diurnal behavior in the winter. [8] The eastern aardwolf, during the rainy season, subsists
on termites from the genera Odontotermes and Macrotermes.[8] They are also known to feed on other
insects, larvae, eggs, and, some sources say, occasionally small mammals and birds, but these
constitute a very small percentage of their total diet. [21]
Unlike other hyenas, aardwolves do not scavenge or kill larger animals. [9][20] Contrary to popular
myths, aardwolves do not eat carrion, and if they are seen eating while hunched over a dead
carcass, they are actually eating larvae and beetles. [9] Also, contrary to some sources, they do not
like meat, unless it is finely ground or cooked for them. [9] The adult aardwolf was formerly assumed to
forage in small groups,[14] but more recent research has shown that they are primarily solitary
foragers,[19] necessary because of the scarcity of their insect prey. Their primary
source, Trinervitermes, forages in small but dense patches of 25–100 cm (9.8–39.4 in).[21] While
foraging, the aardwolf can cover about 1 km (0.62 mi) per hour, which translates to 8–12 km (5.0–
7.5 mi) per summer night and 3–8 km (1.9–5.0 mi) per winter night.[9]
Breeding[edit]
The breeding season varies depending on location, but normally takes place during autumn or
spring. In South Africa, breeding occurs in early July.[16] During the breeding season, unpaired male
aardwolves search their own territory, as well as others, for a female to mate with. Dominant males
also mate opportunistically with the females of less dominant neighboring aardwolves, [16] which can
result in conflict between rival males. [6] Dominant males even go a step further and as the breeding
season approaches, they make increasingly greater and greater incursions onto weaker males'
territories. As the female comes into oestrus, they add pasting to their tricks inside of the other
territories, sometimes doing so more in rivals' territories than their own. [16] Females will also, when
given the opportunity, mate with the dominant male, which increases the chances of the dominant
male guarding "his" cubs with her.[16] Copulation lasts between 1 and 4.5 hours.[18][23]
Gestation lasts between 89 and 92 days,[6][16] producing two to five cubs (most often two or three)
during the rainy season (November–December), [14] when termites are more active.[2] They are born
with their eyes open, but initially are helpless,[21] and weigh around 200–350 g (7.1–12.3 oz).[6] The
first six to eight weeks are spent in the den with their parents.[20] The male may spend up to six hours
a night watching over the cubs while the mother is out looking for food. [16][21] After three months, they
begin supervised foraging, and by four months are normally independent, though they often share a
den with their mother until the next breeding season. [20] By the time the next set of cubs is born, the
older cubs have moved on.[16] Aardwolves generally achieve sexual maturity at one and a half to two
years of age.[6]

Conservation[edit]
The aardwolf has not seen decreasing numbers and they are relatively widespread throughout
eastern Africa. They are not common throughout their range, as they maintain a density of no more
than 1 per square kilometer, if the food is good. Because of these factors, the IUCN has rated the
aardwolf as least concern.[1] In some areas, they are persecuted by man because of the mistaken
belief that they prey on livestock; however, they are actually beneficial to the farmers because they
eat termites that are detrimental.[21] In other areas, the farmers have recognized this, but they are still
killed, on occasion, for their fur. Dogs and insecticides [1] are also common killers of the aardwolf. [20]

Interaction with humans[edit]

Aardwolfs are common sights at zoos. Frankfurt Zoo in Germany was home to the oldest recorded
aardwolf in captivity at 18 years and 11 months.[9]

Illustration of Proteles cristatus

Notes[edit]
1. ^ Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern [1]
2. ^ Some sources such as Coetzee in Meester and Setzer (1977), Köhler and Ricardson
(1990), and Yalden, Largen, and Koch (1980), classify the aardwolf in its own family still. [9]

3. ^ The fossil record shows 18–20 mya, and genetic studies indicate roughly 10.6 mya. [11]