Aardvark
Orycteropus afer
Classifaction
- Domain Eukarya
- All organisms in this domain have a nucleus in their cell(s)
- These animals can be single or multicellular
- Kingdom Animalia
- All animals are heterotrophs (eat other organisms)
- All animals have no cell wall
- All animals can move at one point in their lives
- All animals reproduce sexually
- Phylum Chordata
- All have bilateral symmetry
- All have digestive system
- All have three germ layers(skin, muscle, bone)
- Subphylum Vertebrata
- All have some kind of backbone
- All have ventral(undersided) heart
- Movement is provided by muscles attached to endoskeleton
- Class Mammalia
- All have hair at one point in life
- All have highly developed brain
- Teeth are replaced once in life, each tooth has a different function
- At least two sexs with y and x chromosomes.
- Order Tubulidentata
- This order only has the Aardvark in it
- Family Orycteropodidae
- This family only has the Aardvark in it
- Genus Orycteropus
- This genus only has the Aardvark in it
- Species afer
- Aardvark
General Information
- Length - 4 feet (6 feet with tail)
- Height - 2 feet up to shoulders
- Weight - Aardvarks can weigh from 40 to 82 kilograms
- Color - Aardvarks have a pale grey and peach colored skin. They are also covered in thick grey hairs except on the ears and feet
- Natural Range - Aardvarks are mainly found in sub-Saharan Africa
- Diet - An Aardvarks diet an range from eating mostly termites in the wet season, to eating mainly ants, seeds, insect larvae, and some fruits in the dry season
- Habitat - Aardvarks mainly live on grasslands and savannas
- Predators - Aardvarks are rarely ever hunted but sometimes can be hunted by humans, lions, hunting dogs, cheetahs, and leopards
- Lifespan - About 10 years
Physical Adaptations
Behavioral Adaptations
Aardvark in Burrow
Aardvark in Wild
Aardvark Range
References
Aardvark. (n.d.). Retrieved from Encyclopedia of Life website: http://eol.org/pages/327830/details
Aardvark. (n.d.). Retrieved from Brookfield Zoo website: http://www.czs.org/Brookfield-ZOO/Zoo-Animals/Habitat-Africa!-The-Savannah/Aardvark.aspx
Burton, M. (2002). Aardvark. In International wildlife encyclopedia (3rd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 16-17). New York, NY: Marshall Cavendish.
Myers, P. 2001. "Vertebrata" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 13, 2015 at http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Vertebrata/
Myers, P. 2000. "Tubulidentata" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 11, 2015 at http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tubulidentata/
Myers, P. 2001. "Animalia" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 12, 2015 at http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Animalia/
Myers, P. 2001. "Chordata" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 12, 2015 at http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Chordata/
Ratzloff, E. 2011. "Orycteropus afer" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 12, 2015 at http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Orycteropus_afer/
Wund, M. and P. Myers 2005. "Mammalia" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 13, 2015 at http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Mammalia/