creature feature
Post on 20-Jan-2016
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Creature Feature
Aardvark(Orycteropus afer)
Fast Facts• “Aardvark” means “earth pig”• Burrowing, nocturnal mammal• ~ 2 feet tall• Sparse covering of coarse hair• Poor eyesight• Excellent hearing and sense of smell
• Sleep in burrows during the day• Predators include:– Lions – Leopards – Hunting dogs – Pythons
• Can live up to 24 yrs in captivity
Aardvark
Anteater
Distribution
Range of habitats include savannah, grasslands, woodlands, and bushlands
Feeding
• Each toe has a large shovel-like nail
• Forage over 6-18 miles from their burrow
• Seeks out ant or termite mounds
• Uses its long tongue to grab food
• Can eat up to 50,000 ants or termites in one night!
Reproduction
• Only pair during the breeding season• Gestate for 7 months• Give birth to one cub that weighs ~ 5
lbs.• Babies can eat termites after 4 months
Fun Facts
• Kids show “Arthur” on PBS was based on an aardvark
• Stan Lee and Steve Ditko originally wanted a mammalian themed superhero to add to the Marvel Universe– "Aardvarkman" – superhero with the ability
to control hordes of soldier ants– Soldier ant theme led to the creation of
Spiderman– Supervillain Toad was eventually created
from the failed artwork for Aardvarkman
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