Aardvark

While the bizarre and elusive aardvark (Orycteropus afer) may look vaguely similar in appearance to a pig, it is actually the only member of the order Tubulidentata. The aardvark has a stocky, arched body sparsely covered with bristly hair, a short neck, a long and muscular tail and long, pointed ears. The aardvark also has a flexible, tubular snout and a long, extensible tongue, which together are perfectly suited to searching out and consuming a diet of ants and termites. The thick skin of the aardvark ranges in colour from pale yellowish-grey to pinkish, although this is often stained darker grey or reddish-brown from the soil in which it burrows. Its short, powerful limbs bear large, sharp, shovel-shaped claws, four on the forefeet, five on each hindfoot, which enable the aardvark to dig with ease.