An aardvark is a peculiar African mammal that looks like nature couldn't quite decide what to make. Picture a pig-sized animal with a long snout like an anteater, rabbit-like ears, and a thick tail like a kangaroo's. The name comes from Afrikaans (a language spoken in South Africa) and means “earth pig,” though aardvarks aren't related to pigs at all.

Aardvarks are nocturnal diggers with an unusual diet: they eat almost nothing but ants and termites, slurping up thousands each night with their long, sticky tongues. Their powerful claws can dig through termite mounds that would break a shovel.

In the wild, aardvarks are shy and rarely seen, spending their days sleeping in burrows they've dug themselves.