Orycteropus: Similarities And Differences

Description The Orycteropus afer, otherwise known as the aardvark, is an animal that is roughly pig-like in appearance, not too short or tall, with very strong features. The aardvark’s body has bilateral symmetry, meaning it can be divided into two parts that are symmetrical. They are medium sized standing at about 24 inches at the shoulder. Aardvark’s have body sizes ranging from about 43 to 53 in. with tail sizes ranging from 21 to 26 inches. While their height and length may not be too short their legs sure are. However, the shortness of the legs doesn’t take away from their power. An aardvark’s legs are made for digging and so are their long, blunt claws. Their skin colors can be various shades of brown, typically almost matching to the color of the dirt they have been digging in. As well, coloring on the sides of the head and can distinguish males from females as the coloring on males is darker while on females it’s lighter. At the end of their heads is one of their most notable features, their snout. Aardvarks have long snouts that are wider at the end where the mouth is. Inside the mouth is their long, sticky tongue. At the other end of the body is the tail that is both very long and strong.

Habitat
They inhabit practically anywhere that has great soil for digging as well as the correct nourishment. But, mostly they are found in Africa’s sub-Saharan countries. Their habitats consist of savannahs, grasslands, and every now and then rainforests. For the most part they tend to stick to savannahs as aardvarks tend to prefer sandier soil but, it is still highly likely to find them in grasslands and