In many African cultures, the aardvark is viewed as a symbol of strength and resilience, and anyone fortunate enough to see one is said to be blessed. The Hausa healers in West Africa pound and grind the heart, skin, and nails with the roots of a specific tree to create a charm that supposedly makes the wearer invisible at night – no doubt a great concern for any father with beautiful daughters at home!
The aardvark is a unique and strangely beautiful animal whose origin in its current form can be traced back to at least 5 million years ago, based on fossil finds. It belongs to the superorder Afrotheria which means they have familial ties with elephants, hyenas, and golden moles. On account of its ancient chromosome pattern, the aardvark is genetically considered a living fossil and is the only species left of the order Tubulidentata. This order is named after the characteristic tubular shape of their composite teeth. The aardvark’s teeth consist of clusters of hundreds of tiny straw-like tubes that are continuously replaced as they wear down.
As a nocturnal animal, it mostly hunts at night. The aardvark is a ferocious little fighter when confronted or cornered and uses its tail and powerful claws to fight off predators. They are also very good swimmers and have the ability to seal up their nostrils when digging for termites and ants which form their main diet. Their exceptional sense of smell helps them to detect the position of termites below ground level. They also have exceptional hearing abilities and will quickly hide in a burrow or dig a hole to hide from predators. Their ears have a unique shape and can fold up to prevent soil from getting into them while burrowing. Their tongues can extend to approximately 30 cm and are coated with a sticky substance so that their prey sticks to it and can thus consume a lot of ants or termites with a single lick.
And if we are not yet sufficiently awed by this wonderful creature, it is most likely the sole reason for the survival of the aardvark cucumber (Cucumis humifructus). The aardvark feeds almost exclusively on termites and ants, with the exception of this specific species of cucumber. It is the only type of cucumber that bears its fruit underground. The seeds and some water are contained in the tough outer skin of the fruit. The aardvark digs it up for its water content and, in the process, also ingests the seeds. Aardvarks have the curious habit of burying their dung, thus creating a fertile bed for the seeds in the dung that are expelled from the body and then covered with soil. This is an extreme example of a symbiotic relationship between a plant and an animal, as the aardvark cucumber is solely reliant on the aardvark for its dispersal and propagation. In areas where the aardvarks have been wiped out, the aardvark cucumbers have also disappeared. There are, however, also animals such as both the Spotted and Brown Hyena, wild dogs, jackals, Bat-eared foxes, porcupines, South African Shelduck, and ant-eating Chats, that depend on the aardvark’s abandoned burrows to use as safe dens for their young.
It is quite rare to see an aardvark because they mostly hunt at night and in particular on account of their ability to quickly disappear into a burrow when they hear something approaching. No wonder they are associated with powers of invisibility!
Image credits
Image credit: Aardvark: Heather Paul / Creative Commons (“Aardvark (Orycteropus afer)” by warriorwoman531 licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.)
Image credit: Aardvark teeth: Mammal Division, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan
Image credit: Aardvark cucumber: Braam van Wyk
References:
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