Aardwolf (Proteles cristatus)

Genus: Proteles
Species: Cristatus
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora

There are two sub Species

* Proteles cristatus cristatus (Southern Africa)
* Protelus cristatus septentrionalis (East Africa)

The Aardwolf looks most like the Striped Hyena but smaller with a more pointed muzzle, sharper ears, vertical stripes, and a long mane down the middle line of the neck and back. It is 76 cm (30 in) long excluding its 30 cm (12 in) tail, stands about 50 cm at the shoulder, and weighs around 9 kg. It has two glands at the rear that secrete a musky fluid for marking territory and communicating with other aardwolves.

The Aardwolf is nocturnal, sleeping in underground burrows by day. By night, an Aardwolf can consume up to 200,000 harvester termites. They are also known to feed on other insects, larvae, and eggs.

While primarily solitary, a mating pair will occupy the same territory with their young. Gestation lasts between 90 and 100 days. The first six to eight weeks are spent in the den with the mother. After three months, they begin supervised foraging and set off on their own shortly thereafter.

The aardwolf can be found from Angola to Zambia and in the Fynbos of South Africa. It also lives in southern Egypt down to Tanzania.