Wildlife specialists reported the first aardvark cub, born recently at California's San Diego Zoo in more than three decades, has been reported to be doing well and developing fast.
According to a Phys.org report, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said earlier this week that the female cub was born on May 10 and will nurse from her mother named Zola for about six months.
The long-eared, hairless cub has tripled her birth weight in just five weeks. She does not have a name yet, and will remain out of view of zoo visitors for about two months as she bonds with her mother.
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Cari Inserra, the lead wildlife care specialist, said in a statement that the aardvark cub is very active and was using her sharp claws to dig as if it were an adult, just hours following her birth.
Reports have said that the long-eared hairless cub's birth weight had tripled in only five weeks. The baby animal does not have a name yet and will stay out of view of the guests at the zoo for around two months as she bonds with her mother.
Inserra explained that they could not wait until they could introduce the cub to the zoo visitors, helping them learn more about this outstanding species.
Getting to Know the Aardvarks
Aardvarks are native to sub-Saharan Africa. They are characterized by strong front legs and long claws adjusted to digging burrows where they spend daylight hours until they appear in the evenings to use their long, sticky tongues to slurp up termites and ants.
According to National Geographic, one abandoned the aardvarks' s "well-constructed burrows," which can have a lot of entrances, are "recycled by other animals," including amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles.
Porcupines and hyenas, for instance, may modify the burrows for their function, for example, by expanding the entrance.
Meanwhile, to thrive in their habitat, the aardvarks sport large, rabbity ears that spread heat, scant body hair, and thick skin impenetrable to insect bites.
Current Conservation State
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Species, the aardvark is a "species of least concern," which means that their populations are stable. For one, the species has strong numbers in protected areas like the Kruger National Park in South Africa.
Aardvarks face threats, though, which include loss of habitat from agricultural development and a drop in insect prey because of pesticides.
Meanwhile, in Zambia and Mozambique, the bushmeat trade is a danger to aardvarks, the IUCN said. Some are poached for their teeth, which are believed to preempt disease and worn by some tribes as good luck charms.
Lastly, aardvarks may also be vulnerable to drought, one of the impacts of climate change in Africa. Specifically, in 2013, hot, dry conditions in the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve in South Africa killed off some of the insect prey of the aardvarks. Failing to regulate their metabolism, a lot of aardvarks are dying.
A report about the newly born aardvark is shown on ZooBorn's YouTube video below:
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