Mammals Nighttime

Aardvark

Orycteropus afer

iNaturalist Wikipedia

The aardvark is Africa's most mysterious excavator, a prehistoric-looking marvel that lives a secret life underground. With ears like a rabbit and a snout like a pig, this solitary nocturnal wanderer is a master of the night.

0 Sightings

0 Habitats

Quick Identification

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Size

Total length 105–130 cm (41–51 in) with a 45–63 cm (18–25 in) tail; weight ranges from 40–65 kg (88–143 lb), though large males can reach 80 kg.

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Colors

Dull yellowish-gray to reddish-brown skin often stained by local soil; thin, coarse hair is usually darker on the limbs.

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Key Features

Elongated, pig-like snout with a sensitive nose
Large, upright ears reaching up to 24 cm (9.5 in) long
Massive, shovel-like claws on the front feet
Thick, muscular tail that tapers to a point

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern Active at night

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Peak hours 9 PM - 4 AM

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Season Year-round

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Diet A specialized insectivore that feeds almost exclusively on ants and termites, using its 12-inch sticky tongue to lap up thousands of insects per night.

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Habitat Savannas, grasslands, and woodland-scrub areas with high concentrations of social insects and soil suitable for digging.

public Geographic range

Where Does the Aardvark Live?

Native to the African continent, the aardvark occupies a vast territory stretching across almost the entirety of sub-Saharan Africa. From the southern reaches of South Africa to the edges of the Sahara in the north, these elusive excavators thrive wherever soil conditions allow for burrowing and insects are plentiful. While they are absent from the driest deserts and the densest rainforests of the Congo Basin, they are a staple of the savanna and shrubland landscapes throughout countries like Tanzania, Namibia, and Ethiopia.

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8 Countries

Resident Status

Least Concern Conservation

ZA South Africa NA Namibia TZ Tanzania KE Kenya ET Ethiopia BW Botswana ZW Zimbabwe ZM Zambia

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iNaturalist / Verified observation data

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Behavior

Aardvarks are the ultimate solitary architects of the African wild, spending their daylight hours tucked away in complex underground burrows. They are strictly nocturnal, emerging shortly after sunset to begin a nightly trek that can cover several miles in search of food. Despite their somewhat clumsy appearance, they are incredibly powerful diggers; an aardvark can excavate a yard of tunnel in about five minutes when motivated by a tasty termite mound or the need for a quick escape.

While they are generally shy and avoid conflict, aardvarks are considered a 'keystone species' because their abandoned burrows provide essential housing for dozens of other animals, including warthogs, hyenas, and owls. They rarely interact with humans and are notoriously difficult to spot, even in areas where they are common, due to their keen sense of hearing and smell which alerts them to approaching footsteps long before they are seen.

photo_camera EverydayEarth exclusive

Camera Tips

To capture an aardvark on camera, the most effective strategy is to locate an active burrow. Look for large, D-shaped holes with fresh soil mounds and clear claw marks. Position your camera about 15 to 20 feet away from the entrance, mounted at knee height (approx. 18-24 inches) to account for their low-slung profile and long snout. Aim the lens slightly downward to capture them as they emerge or enter the tunnel head-first.

Because aardvarks are strictly nocturnal and have very dark skin, you need a camera with high-quality infrared (No-Glow) flash to avoid spooking them while ensuring enough contrast for a clear image. Set your camera to take bursts of 3-5 photos or a 15-second video clip. They move surprisingly fast when foraging, so a rapid trigger speed of 0.3 seconds or less is vital to avoid getting a photo of just a disappearing tail.

Aardvarks are highly sensitive to scent, so it is crucial to minimize your human footprint. Use scent-elimination spray on your equipment and try to check the camera during the heat of midday when the animal is deep underground and least likely to be disturbed. There is no reliable bait for aardvarks, as they are specialized insectivores, but placing your camera near a known termite mound within 100 yards of a burrow can also yield excellent results.

In terms of timing, aardvarks are active year-round, but you may have better luck during the dry season. When the ground is hard, they spend more time above ground traveling between food sources. If you are using video mode, ensure your camera has a high-sensitivity microphone; the sound of an aardvark sniffing the ground or scratching at a termite mound is one of the most distinctive audio signatures in the African bush.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Aardvark.

Giant Anteater

Found only in the Americas, the giant anteater has a much bushier tail and a longer, narrower head compared to the aardvark.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Aardvarks are strictly nocturnal animals. They typically emerge from their burrows shortly after sunset (around 7 PM to 9 PM) and remain active throughout the night, returning to their underground dens just before dawn.

In their native African range, aardvarks are attracted to properties with high termite and ant activity. Maintaining natural savanna or scrub vegetation and avoiding pesticides that kill social insects is the best way to encourage their presence, though they generally avoid high-traffic human areas.

The aardvark diet consists almost entirely of ants and termites. They use their powerful claws to break into mounds and their long, sticky tongue to extract the insects. Interestingly, they also occasionally eat the 'aardvark cucumber,' a fruit that grows underground and provides them with moisture.

Aardvarks are generally shy and prefer wilder landscapes. However, they are sometimes found on the edges of rural farmlands or large suburban plots in parts of Southern Africa, provided there is enough space to dig burrows and a lack of heavy human disturbance.

While both eat ants, they look very different. Aardvarks have skin covered in sparse hair and huge ears, whereas pangolins are covered in hard, overlapping scales and have very small ears. Aardvarks are also significantly larger than most pangolin species.

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