habitat_narrative
Terrestrial
Aardvarks occur in a broad range of habitats, including the semi-arid Karoo areas of southern Africa, grasslands, all savannah types, rainforests, woodlands and thickets (Shoshani et al. 1988; Taylor 2013). They are well-adapted for multiple habitats, including arid regions, as long as sufficient prey are available (Taylor & Skinner 2004). They are absent from hyper-arid habitats and avoid very rocky terrain that is difficult to dig in. They occur at all altitudes within the assessment region, but are not common on steep slopes (Skinner & Chimimba 2005; Taylor 2013). They are also known to occupy farmlands, for example in the Drakensberg Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal Province (Ramesh & Downs 2015). Mean home range size in the Karoo has been estimated at 3.5 km2 for both sexes: 2â4.7 km2 for males and 4.4â4.6 km2 for females (van Aarde et al. 1992). A more recent study in the same region estimated 2.4â2.7 km2 for females and 2.1â3 km2 for males (Taylor & Skinner 2003).They feed almost exclusively on ants and termites but sometimes eat other insects, such as pupae of scarabaeid beetles or grasshoppers (Taylor et al. 2002), and possibly the fruit of the wild âAardvark-cucumberâ (Cucumis humifructus) (Meeuse 1963). In Tussen-die-Riviere Nature Reserve, Free State Province, 13 species of ants and two species of termites consumed, Anoplolepis custodiens was the most dominant prey species (Willis et al. 1992). They are thought to obtain most of their water requirements from their food, however, there are no physiological studies to support this and it is an assumption based on observations from the Nama Karoo where Aardvarks hardly ever drink. It has been suggested that feeding on the Aardvark Cucumber may be a way of increasing their water intake in some regions (Melton 1976). They also require soils amenable to digging that are not too shallow (in order to dig burrows). They are anatomically adapted to dig, and they extract all their food from underground. They also dig burrows in which they rest during the day and which they use to escape predators (Taylor & Skinner 2003). A recent study in Ghana (Bui National Park) suggested that the burrow density was dependent on the distance to a watercourse (Oduro & Boateng 2009). They are generally nocturnal, although they may come out in the afternoon in cold weather. They are solitary, only coming together occasionally for very short periods. Very little is known about their reproduction in the wild.
Ecosystem and cultural services: Aardvarks are considered a keystone species in grasslands as their burrows create a micro-habitat which facilitates the existence of many other vertebrate (and invertebrate) species (Taylor & Skinner 2000, 2001; Cilliers 2002; Whittington-Jones et al. 2011). As many as 39 nocturnal and diurnal species (25 mammals, seven birds, six reptiles and one amphibian) have been recorded to make use of Aardvark burrows for short- or long-term shelter and as a place to rear their young. One notable species that relies on Aardvark burrows is the threatened Blue Swallow (Hirundo atrocaerulea) (Evans & Bouwman 2010). Blue Swallows are listed as Critically Endangered in South Africa (Evans 2015), and nest in mist-belt grasslands and construct cup-shaped nests in Aardvark burrows (Wakelin & Hill 2007; Wakelin et al. 2013). A loss of Aardvarks in areas where Blue Swallows occur may have dire consequences for their survival.
