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AAardwolves, at first glance, look a little like hyenas, except much smaller and with a striped rather than spotted pelt. Not surprisingly, they are part of the same family. But unlike brown or spotted hyenas, aardwolves very seldom eat carrion – they really don’t have the faces for it.
Instead, they devote their lives to eating termites – specifically, harvester termites – and have peg-like teeth and weak jaws to prove it. They are similar to pangolins and aardvarks in this respect, although aardvarks include ants as well as termites in their diet, and are far shyer and much harder to spot than aardwolves, because they can dig their way to invisibility with their powerful front claws within minutes.
Harvester termites spend the night gathering dry grass and processing it in burrows underground. Aardwolves generally find them by listening to the characteristic rustling and cutting sounds they make, then rush over to lick them up as fast as possible before the soldier termites arrive with their distasteful sprays.
On any given night, an aardwolf will eat up to 200 000 insects – nearly a kilogram of pure protein and very little competition for it.
Aardwolves are monogamous beasts that live in pairs with their young and pass the day dozing in burrows. The best time to see them is just before dusk, when they emerge from these burrows – or in the early mornings in the winter months (June to August). During the coldest part of the year, to conserve heat the aardwolf will emerge to feed around sunrise, rather than at night.
They’ve been found in almost every part of South Africa but are rare wild animals, seldom seen because of their shyness and nocturnal habits. They favour open, dry country like the arid Kalahari Desert and the Karoo, which is also where harvester termites are common.
Aardwolves, as members of the Shy 5 (which includes the meerkat, the aardvark, the porcupine and the bat-eared fox), are peaceful beasts, but have a range of tricks at their disposal to make more aggressive animals leave them alone.
For a start, they can puff up every hair on their body, including an impressive mane, to make them look twice as large as they really are. And although they’re slow runners, aardwolves are world-class dodgers, using their bushy tails to distract and mislead as they escape.
If all else fails, they’ll let out a barrage of ferocious growls, snarls, deep barks and even lion-like roars when cornered.
Did You Know?
TTravel tips & Planning info
Who to contact
Samara Private Game Reserve
Reservations Tel: +27 (0)23 626 6113
Lodge Tel: +27 (0)49 940 0059
Email: reservations@samara.co.za
Tswalu Kalahari Game Reserve
Tel: +27 (0)53 781 9331
Email: res@tswalukalahari.com
How to get here
Wherever there are harvester termites, there are aardwolves – and that counts for practically the whole country except for true desert and true forest. You may see them in game reserves, but it may be even easier to spot them while on Karoo farm stays. They favour grassland and open scrubland.
Best time to visit
Cubs are usually born in October, and parents will stay near the den for about 3 months after that. If the farmer knows of a den, this is probably the best time to see adults, and perhaps youngsters.
What to pack
Bring warm clothing for night drives and a flash for your camera (plus batteries). When outdoors by day, a hat and sunscreen are essential.
Where to stay
Nature reserves, national parks and farm stays in the Karoo or the Kalahari Desert will be your best bet if you want to see this termite-eating canine.
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