土豚 (Orycteropus afer) 是生活在非洲撒哈拉以南地区的中型食虫动物。其皮肤为灰粉色,毛发稀疏粗糙,有细长的大耳朵和头部,头部尖端有状似猪鼻的口鼻部。雄性的体型略大于雌性,但两性体长大多介于 105 到 130 厘米之间,尾巴长 60 到 70 厘米,体重则介于 40 到 65 公斤之间。

Latin Name
Orycteropus afer
Slug
aardvark
Site
Thumbnail
Image
Conservation Status
Animal Category
Region
Animal Facts
Aardvarks only have four toes on their front legs, possibly adapted to form ‘shovel like’ feet for digging.
Aardvarks have a symbiotic relationship with a species called the ‘aardvark cucumber’, a plant which grows underground and depends entirely on the aardvark for the dispersal of its seeds. The cucumber is the only non-insect food that the aardvark eats.
Female aardvarks have a white tail tip, believed to make it easier for their cub to follow them in the darkness of their burrows and during foraging.
The tongue of the aardvark is 30cm long, sticky and is used to track through tunnels of ant and termite hills to collect many insects at once.
Abandoned aardvark burrows are important habitats for other animals – mostly warthogs and hyenas.