The
aardwolf (
Proteles cristata) is a small,
insectivorous mammal, native to
East and
Southern Africa. Its name means "earth wolf" in
Afrikaans and
Dutch. It is also called "maanhaar jackal" (Afrikaans for "
mane jackal") or
civet hyena, based on the secretions from their anal glands, reminiscent of
civets. The aardwolf is in the same family as the
hyenas. Unlike many of its relatives in the order
Carnivora, the aardwolf does not hunt large
animals. It eats
insects, mainly
termites – one aardwolf can eat about 250,000 termites during a single night, using its long, sticky
tongue to capture them. The aardwolf lives in the
scrublands of eastern and southern Africa – open lands covered with stunted trees and shrubs. It is
nocturnal, resting in
burrows during the day and emerging at night to seek food. Its diet consists mainly of termites and insect
larvae.