The aardwolf (Proteles cristatus[3]) is an insectivorous hyaenid species, native to East and Southern Africa.

[12] The aardwolf lives in the shrublands of eastern and southern Africa – open lands covered with stunted trees and shrubs.

[nb 1] Early on, scientists felt that it was merely mimicking the striped hyena, which subsequently led to the creation of Protelidae.

A 2021 study found the genetic differences in eastern and southern aardwolves may be pronounced enough to categorize them as species.

[4][20] The skull is similar in shape to those of other hyenas, though much smaller,[19] and its cheek teeth are specialised for eating insects.

[9] As an aardwolf ages, it will typically lose some of its teeth, though this has little impact on its feeding habits due to the softness of the insects that it eats.

[10] Aardwolves live in open, dry plains and bushland, avoiding mountainous areas.

[13] Due to their specific food requirements, they are found only in regions where termites of the family Hodotermitidae occur.

Termites of this family depend on dead and withered grass and are most populous in heavily grazed grasslands and savannahs, including farmland.

[22] They are primarily solitary animals, though during mating season they form monogamous pairs which occupy a territory with their young.

[21] If the intruder is caught, which rarely happens,[21] a fight will occur, which is accompanied by soft clucking,[26] hoarse barking, and a type of roar.

[25] The territory is marked by both sexes, as they both have developed anal glands from which they extrude a black substance that is smeared on rocks or grass stalks in 5-millimetre (0.20 in)-long streaks.

[21] An aardwolf pair's territory may have up to 10 dens, and numerous middens where they dig small holes and bury their feces with sand.

During these times, the southern aardwolf will seek out Hodotermes mossambicus, a type of harvester termite[25] active in the afternoon, which explains some of their diurnal behavior in the winter.

[12] The eastern aardwolf, during the rainy season, subsists on termites from the genera Odontotermes and Macrotermes.

[25] They use their wide tongues to lap surface foraging termites off of the ground and consume large quantities of sand in the process, which aids in digestion in the absence of teeth to break down their food.

[13] The breeding season varies depending on location, but normally takes place during autumn or spring.

[23][30] Gestation lasts between 89 and 92 days,[9][21] producing two to five cubs (most often two or three) during the rainy season (October–December),[19] when termites are more active.

[1] In some areas, they are persecuted because of the mistaken belief that they prey on livestock; however, they are actually beneficial to the farmers because they eat termites that are detrimental.

[26] Frankfurt Zoo in Germany was home to the oldest recorded aardwolf in captivity at 18 years and 11 months.