Aardwolf

The aardwolf is a mammal in the same family as the hyena. A nocturnal creature, this species is unique compared it to its relatives in the Hyaenidae family in that this species is not known to be a carnivorous one; instead, the diet of the aardwolf mainly consists of insects, specifically termites and insect larvae. The aardwolf looks similar to the striped hyena, but with notable differences: the aardwolf’s fur is a yellow tint with black vertical stripes, has five-toed front feet, and has a mane going down the middle of the body. The mane is used as a defense mechanism when dealing with predators, such as the black backed jackal. When confronted, the aardwolf elevates its mane to give the allusion of increased size.

Mating season for the aardwolf starts in early June and usually lasts up until the fall. Males become even more territorial and unpaired aardwolves search for a female to breed with within their territory. Females of the species attempt to find the most dominant male in the area as a it increases the odds that the male with guard the cubs after birth. After breeding, it will around the time span of three months before the female will give birth to anywhere from two to five cubs. Aardwolf cubs spend their first six to eight weeks living in the den of their parents, and after four months, the offspring have become independent. Within a year, this set of cubs will be completely away from their parents, and by this point, the mating season begins again.

The species has two significant populations: one in the east of Africa, and one in the south. They reside in the bushlands of the continent and within a pair of aardwolves’ territory, a number of dens can be located. This tactic allows the aardwolf to search for food over a large distance, in which they detect by the sound and scent of the termites. Conservation efforts have been minimal as the aardwolf has not seen any major decrease in population size.