Aardwolf
By John Welford
@indexer (4852)
Leicester, England
October 16, 2018 4:53am CST
The aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) is a mainly nocturnal carnivore that is native to the arid and rocky regions of southern and eastern Africa.
Its colouring is yellowish grey with dark crosswise stripes. The conspicuous mane of long hair stretches from the nape of the neck to reach over the back, continuing as a bushy tail.
The shape of the aardwolf is similar to that of the hyaena, but its skeleton is more slender and its skull more elongated. Whereas hyaenas have five digits on both fore and hind limbs, the aardwolf has only four digits on its hind feet.
Aardwolves have small teeth that are widely spaced, the molars being completely rudimentary. This relates to the nature of their diet, which is mainly insects (especially termites) and birds’ eggs.
(The photo is taken from a copyright-free source)
3 people like this
3 responses
@indexer (4852)
• Leicester, England
17 Oct 18
@JudyEv Ah - OK, I'm sorry to sound a bit tetchy! I do sometimes get annoyed when people make comments that give the distinct impression that they have only looked at the picture and not read the text. I can see that this is not the case here, so I apologise.
1 person likes this
@cmoneyspinner (9221)
• Austin, Texas
18 Oct 18
Were they ever domesticated and turned into household pets?
@cmoneyspinner (9221)
• Austin, Texas
18 Oct 18
@indexer - I only ask because I see some people with tigers as pets. Something I would never do. But people do it. I think wild animals should be in the wild.
