Aardwolf

aardwolf

[′ärd‚wu̇lf]

(vertebrate zoology)

Proteles cristatus. A hyenalike African mammal of the family Hyaenidae.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Aardwolf

 

(Proteles cristatus), a predatory mammal of family Hyaenidae. The fur is light yellow-gray; there are six or seven transverse black stripes on the sides of the body and several transverse stripes on the legs. The fur is longer on the crest and forms a mane. The body is about 80 cm long, the tail is bushy (to 30 cm long), and the height at the withers reaches 50 cm. The canine teeth are well developed and the molars are simplified.

The aardwolf is found in South Africa. It inhabits open places in packs of five or six. It usually lives in earth burrows. The aardwolf feeds primarily on termites and other insects but also on murine rodents and small birds. It reproduces in November and December; each litter contains two to four young. [9–1481–1)

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.