Ever heard of an aardwolf? If the answer to this question is no, then prepare yourself for one of the cutest animals you’re ever likely to see.
The aardwolf comes from the same family as the hyena, which explains their similar looks, but unlike their aggressive, bone-crunching cousins, aardwolves much prefer to munch on termites, much like an aardvark. In fact, the word “aard” comes from the Dutch word “aarde” which means earth.
They’re native to Eastern and Southern Africa, where they live in underground burrows. They don’t dig these holes themselves though as they much prefer to inhabit the abandoned underground burrows of other animals. They’re shy and nocturnal creatures, although during the winter they’ll save energy by sleeping at night and feeding during the day.
Aardwolves have long sticky tongues which they use to lap up thousands of termites. A single aardwolf can consume up to 300,000 termites a night. They grow to roughly the same size as a fox and stay with the same mate for their entire lifetime. Did we also mention that they’re extremely cute? Don’t believe us? Scroll down and see for yourself!
Source: boredpanda
