About the Aardwolf
The aardwolf is a small, shy, and highly specialized member of the hyena family native to the savannas and open grasslands of eastern and southern Africa. Despite its name, which translates to “earth wolf” in Afrikaans, it does not hunt large prey and feeds almost exclusively on insects.
Physically, the aardwolf closely resembles a miniaturized, slender striped hyena. When threatened or agitated, the aardwolf raises this mane and makes loud vocalizations to appear much larger and more menacing than it actually is.
Unlike their bone-crushing hyena relatives, aardwolves are insectivores with weak jaws and peg-like, specialized teeth. A single adult can lap up to 300,000 harvester termites in a single night using its long, sticky tongue. They forage quietly by walking the savanna, using their keen sense of smell and large, pointed ears to detect the rustling and movements of termite mounds. Interestingly, they never destroy the termite mounds when feeding, allowing the colonies to recover and ensuring a continuous food supply.
Socially, the aardwolf is timid, nocturnal, and highly territorial. They are generally monogamous and pair up for life, with mated pairs and their offspring occupying and defending territories using secretions from their anal glands. During the day, they seek refuge from the heat by sleeping in underground burrows, which are usually abandoned dens previously dug by aardvarks or porcupines.
Description of the Aardwolf
- Build and Stature: Like true hyenas, the aardwolf has front legs that are longer than its hind legs, resulting in a distinctly sloped back. It has a slender body, a pointed muzzle, and large, prominent ears.
- Mane: A prominent, erectile mane of dark, shaggy hair runs down the length of its neck and spine. It raises this mane when frightened or threatened to make itself appear larger and more intimidating to predators.
- Coat and Markings: The fur is coarse, featuring a coat that ranges from pale yellow to golden-orange, with grayish-white underparts. Bold vertical black stripes run across the body, with diagonal stripes and spots on the forelegs and hindquarters.
- Legs and Paws: The lower legs (from the knee down) are solid black, and the tail is bushy with a black tip. A unique characteristic that separates the aardwolf from true hyenas is its feet: it has five toes on its front paws and four on the back, whereas hyenas have only four toes on all feet.
- Skull and Teeth: While it has the strong jaws and sharp canines typical of its family, its cheek teeth are drastically reduced to small, widely spaced, peg-like structures. This dental adaptation perfectly suits its specialized diet, which consists almost exclusively of lapping up harvester termites using its broad, sticky tongue.
Aardwolf Species / Subspecies
Aardwolves are divided into 2 subspecies:
- Southern Aardwolf: Found in the open plains, savannas, and shrublands of Southern Africa (e.g., South Africa, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe).
- Eastern/Northeastern Aardwolf: Found across Eastern and Northeastern Africa, stretching from Tanzania up to the Horn of Africa and into southern Egypt.
Suitable Weapons
Use any small caliber from the .223 up to the .243 to hunt the Aardwolf.
Hunting Area
The Aardwolf is hunted in South Africa and Namibia. These countries offer a limited number of tags per year.
