Scientific name: Orycteropus afer
Brief description: South African Dutch, which became Afrikaans, is the language from which English borrowed aardvark. It means “earth pig.”
The aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It has a long pig-like snout, which it uses to sniff out food. It feeds on ants and termites, which it will dig out of their hills using its sharp claws and powerful legs. It also digs to create burrows in which to live and rear its young.
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