Aardwolf

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. I aardwolf can eat about 250,000 termites during a single night, using its long, sticky tongue to capture them. The aardwolf lives in the shrublands of eastern and southern Africa, including 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. Other hyena species include the Spotted, Striped, and Brown. The aardwolf is similar to the striped hyena despite of it having stripes. The striped hyena is the only hyena to live outside Africa.