Orycteropodidaeis a family ofafrotherianmammals. Although there are many fossil species, the only species surviving today is theaardvark,Orycteropus afer. Orycteropodidae is recognized as the only family within the orderTubulidentata, so the two are effectively synonyms.
The family Orycteropodidae includes just a single living species, the Aardvark (Orycteropus afer). Aardvarks were at one time thought to be closely related to anteaters, tree sloths, armadillos, and pangolins. It eventually became clear, however, that the similarities on which these associations were based are the result of convergent evolution independently shaping the morphology (body form) of these different animals for similar functions, such as feeding on ants and termites. As their distinctiveness was recognized, Aardvarks were eventually moved to their own genus (Orycteropus), then their own family (Orycteropodidae), and eventually, in the early 20th century, their own order (Tubulidentata).
Molecular phylogenetic studies have revealed that Aardvarks belong to the broad mammal clade known as Afrotheria, a group that includes elephants, hyraxes, sirenians, sengis, and tenrecs and golden moles.
Aardvarks typically swallow their food without chewing, but the stomach has a thick muscular wall that helps to crush swallowed food. The tongue is long and tubular and can be extended to twice its "resting" length, allowing it to reach far into ant tunnels. The powerfully built body is well suited to digging, as are the long, sharp claws on the front feet.
Aardvarks are widespread in sub-Saharan Africa in a range of habitats from semi-arid deserts such as the Kalahari and Karoo regions and throughout savanna regions to (at least to some degree) the rainforests of West Africa. The key requirements for Aardvark habitat are an adequate supply of ants and termites and soil amenable to burrowing. Aardvarks occur at elevations as high as 3200 m in the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia and do not appear to be limited by the occurrence of water. Unoccupied Aardvark burrows are often used by other animals.
Aardvarks are solitary and nocturnal and spend most of their time eating or sleeping. Because of their habits, Aardvarks rarely interact with humans. Farmers sometimes kill them because their deep burrows can injure livestock or damage farm equipment and Aardvarks sometimes burrow into the earth walls of water storage dams, causing leaks. In Central and West Africa, Aardvarks are killed for the bush meat trade. They are also killed for curios and for charms in traditional medicine. Despite these threats, populations are believed to be stable at least in southern Africa, where the bushmeat trade is not a big factor.
(Taylor 2011 and references therein)
Orycteropodidae is a family of afrotherian mammals. Although there are many fossil species, the only species surviving today is the aardvark, Orycteropus afer. Orycteropodidae is recognized as the only family within the order Tubulidentata (Latin: "tube" (tubulis), "tooth" (dentis)[3]), so the two are effectively synonyms.[1][4]
The first aardvark fossil discovered was originally named Orycteropus gaudryi (now Amphiorycteropus) and was found in Turolian deposits on the island of Samos.[1] Since then, representatives of the order Tubulidentata have been located from the Oligocene in what is now Europe, and it is believed that the order probably originated around 65–70 million years ago or in the Paleocene.[5][6] They are thought to be closely related to the now extinct Ptolemaiida, a lineage of carnivorous afrotheres.[7][8] The family arose in Africa in the Early Miocene epoch, and spread to Eurasia later in the Miocene. Most of the family's diversity had become extinct by the end of the Pliocene.[1]
Aardvarks had originally been categorized as relatives of American anteaters in the order Edentata. But their unique type of teeth and other morphological characteristics had made it clear that aardvarks are not closely related to any other living mammals. Since the end of the 19th century, they are placed in their own separate order Tubulidentata. Both the fossil record and genetic studies have corroborated that separate status. All similarities to American anteaters have evolved independently as adaptations to eating ants.
One of the most distinctive features of the animals is that their teeth have a "tubulidentate" microstructure, lacking enamel, and are just rounded structures of dentine. They lack incisors and canines, and have 20–22 teeth, which are evergrowing, unrooted, and diphyodont. Another unique trait is that their small milk teeth are lost before the animal is born.
A few anatomical characters unite the Orycteropodidae and Tubulidentata. The occipital region of the skull has extensive mastoid exposure, the femur has a pectineal tubercle, and the diaphysis of the tibia is curved mediolaterally.
Modern aardvarks are polygynous, the females providing care for the young. They are territorial, and only cross paths to breed. The males' genitals create a musk while females create this musk from glands in their elbows, this scent helps mating occur. The gestation period lasts about seven months, and they are dependent upon the mother until they are six months of age, becoming sexually mature at two years of age. Breeding occurs once a year, they produce one offspring, and will have maybe one to two more in their lifetime. Aardvarks are myrmecophagous, feeding almost exclusively on termites and ants. They rely on their sense of smell to find most of their food and hunt at night.
This classification follows Lehmann 2009.[1][9]
Orycteropodidae is a family of afrotherian mammals. Although there are many fossil species, the only species surviving today is the aardvark, Orycteropus afer. Orycteropodidae is recognized as the only family within the order Tubulidentata (Latin: "tube" (tubulis), "tooth" (dentis)), so the two are effectively synonyms.
