| Show AARDVARK EASILY outclasses outclassed OUT CLASSES MAN AS PAST FAST DIGGER the aardvark whose name comes from the dutch and means earth pie Is one of the strangest of living mammals extraordinary in appearance in structure and in habits says the chicago field museum news aardvarks are common throughout southeastern africa states dr wilfred II if osgood curator of zoology nt at the museum they are about the size of a large fat hog weigh up to pounds and have a pig like snout which accounts for the name given them by the early dutch colonists in south africa that they are so abundant over so wide i a range of territory can grow to such large size as individuals on a diet of ants exclusively Is eloquent evidence of the prevalence of ants in africa and the problem they present to settlers being nocturnal in habits and living in burrows aardvarks are rarely seen says doctor osgood they cannot therefore be hunted most animals but instead by the unusual method of seeking their burrows and digging them out however this pres presents ts difficulties because an aardvark can dig faster than six men with shovels and thus escape farther into the earth the members of the white coats expedition instead of digging directly after the aardvarks pushed the earth down behind them this interfered with further digging by the anima s a and nd the men then dug in front of them and shot them through gli tb the ground as their movement in th the earth became visible the teeth of the aardvark have a peculiar tubular structure most closely resembling those of certain fishes this would seem to indicate I 1 a very ancient anc ancestry etry for tawa animals which are probably the last remnant of an order of which all other species are now i extinct ayers doctor osgood |
