Few people will like the process of shaking the foot of a toothy hyena, but its distant relative Aardwolf is a completely different creature! This old Dutch word means “earthen wolf”, but it looks like a wolf only by a stretch. And this is not an evil predator, but a very fluffy and harmless creature.
From a biological point of view, earthen wolves are really closer to hyenas, but they are only the size of a fox who live in burrows and do not eat meat, but termites. This is also considered to be a great source of protein, especially if you lick 300,000 at a time, but you don’t need to bite or kill anyone, which is why these wolvies are so cute and even shy. They rarely appear during the day and prefer to roam at night.
The cubs of the earthen wolves are very similar to soft toys, and the adults are too fluffy. The length of their hair on the back of the neck and further along the ridge is one of the most prominent features among carnivorous mammals – from 10 to 16 cm. If something is frightened or wants to frighten the enemy itself, the wolf raises its luxurious mane on end and becomes visually much larger. It looks like felines get angry.
Aardwolves live only in Africa, in relatively small areas. And now they are not considered to be under the threat of extinction, although they are actively exterminated for their fur. But it’s a pity that the neighborhood deals with such an animal this way as it is a very beneficial creature from the standpoint of protection from the all-pervading termites that can devour an entire residential building! But the long and flexible tongue of the earthen wolf saves the wise African inhabitants from this misfortune.
