amnhnyc:

The aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is one for a nighttime snack.🐜🐜🐜

This mostly nocturnal African animal spends the day sleeping in its burrow, but at night it springs into action, consuming as many as 50,000 insects in one evening! It uses its 12-inch- (1-foot)-long tongue to scoop up ants and termites, which it swallows whole. It’s an expert digger, excavating more than 20 inches (51 centimeters) in 15 seconds! This talent comes in handy when it’s looking for its next meal, making a place to nap, escaping from predators, or creating elaborate tunnels where moms give birth to young.

Photo: Richard Gillin, CC BY-SA 2.0, flickr

#AnimalFacts #aardvark #nature #dyk
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