Aardwolf
Proteles cristatus
- Class
- Mammal
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 398
- Most observed in
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) is an insectivorous hyaenid species, native to East and Southern Africa. Its name means 'earth-wolf' in Afrikaans and Dutch. It is also called the maanhaarjakkals (Afrikaans for 'mane-jackal'), termite-eating hyena and civet hyena, based on its habit of secreting substances from its anal gland, a characteristic shared with the African civet.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Aardwolf”.