Aardwolves are the smallest member of the hyena family. They reach an average length of 25 inches, height of 20 inches, and weigh about 15-30 pounds. Aardwolves also boast a characteristically long, bushy tail that can grow up to a foot long! They have two layers of dense yellowish or reddish fur with black stripes that cover the body.

Aardwolves are missing the throat spots that other species in the hyena family have.

Like all members in the hyena family, aardwolves have longer front legs than hindlegs.

Another characteristic of aardwolves are their manes that stretch from head to tail. If threatened by predators or trespassing aardwolves, their mane will raise up making them appear larger. Aardwolves are rarely vocal and will usually only growl, roar, or cluck when threatened.

Aardwolves can be found in the eastern and southern parts of Africa. There are two subspecies, both of which inhabit shrublands that contain open plains with rainfall and sufficient food sources.

Aardwolves are nocturnal, sleeping in burrows during the day and coming out at night to find food. Most hyenas will hunt and consume large prey, but aardwolves have poorly developed teeth that are better suited for eating insects. They will drag their long, sticky tongue around termite mounds eating anywhere from 250,000 – 300,000 a night! Aardwolves do not destroy the mounds or eat all of the termites so they have a continuous supply of food.

Breeding season for aardwolves varies by location but usually takes place during autumn or spring so that the birth lines up with the rainy season when termites are more active. Aardwolves mate for life and both parents take a role in raising the young. Females will be pregnant for three months giving birth to 2-5 pups. Pups are defenseless, blind, and weigh less than a pound at birth so the father guards the den against predators while the mother gathers food. They will leave the den after about a year to start new territories.

Their name means “earth wolf” in Afrikaans and Dutch even though they’re more closely related to hyenas than wolves.

Aardwolves found in the south tend to be smaller than those found in the east.