Aardvarks| | The Zoo’s aardvarks are also enjoying a new home in the African Grasslands. These nocturnal mammals moved into the yard across from the giraffes that was formerly occupied by the tapirs, which relocated near other South American animals on the Zoo’s south side. With poor eyesight and a keen sense of smell, aardvarks prefer to hunt at night. The new habitat includes special lights that simulate moonlight so summer evening visitors can watch the aardvarks forage. The natural substrate in their new yard allows the aardvarks to exercise their strong digginginstinct; in the wild, an aardvark will movefrom one termite or ant mound to the next,dismantling it with powerful claws and using its long, narrow snout and 12-inch sticky coiled tongue to suck up the insects. | |
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