Its name means “Earth wolf” in the Afrikaans / Dutch language. It is also called “Maanhaar Jackal”. The Aardwolf is in the same family as the Hyena. Unlike its relatives, the carnivora, the Aardwolf does not hunt large animals, or even eat meat on a regular basis. One Aardwolf can eat about 200,000 termites during a single night by using its long, sticky tongue to capture them.
| Mount Type | Aardwolf Fullmount – DD001, Aardwolf Fullmount – DD243, Aardwolf Fullmount – GG175, Aardwolf Fullmount – GG300 |
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The Aardwolf resembles a much smaller and thinner striped Hyena with a more slender muzzle, black vertical stripes on a coat of yellowish fur, and a long, distinct mane down the midline of the neck and back. It also has one or two diagonal stripes down the fore- and hind-quarters, along with several stripes on its legs. The mane is raised during confrontations to make the Aardwolf appear larger.
The Aardwolf is about 55 to 80 cm (22 to 31 in) long, excluding its bushy tail, which is about 20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 in) long and stands about 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) tall at the shoulders. An adult Aardwolf weighs approximately 7–10 kg (15–22 lb), sometimes reaching 15 kg (33 lb).
The front feet have five toes each, unlike the four-toed Hyena. The skull is similar in shape to those of other hyenas, though much smaller and its cheek teeth are specialised for eating insects. It does still have canines, but, unlike other hyenas, these teeth are used primarily for fighting and defence.
The Aardwolf is shy and nocturnal, sleeping in burrows by day. They will, on occasion during the winter, become diurnal feeders (active during the day). This happens during the coldest periods as they then stay in at night to conserve heat.
They are primarily solitary animals, though during mating season they form monogamous pairs which occupy a territory with their young. If their territory is infringed upon by another Aardwolf, they will chase the intruder away for up to 400 m (1,300 ft) or to the border. If the intruder is caught, which rarely happens, a fight will occur, which is accompanied by soft clucking, hoarse barking, and a type of roar. When food is scarce, the stringent territorial system may be abandoned and as many as three pairs may occupy a single territory.
The territory is marked by both sexes, as they both have developed anal glands from which they extrude a black substance that is smeared on rocks or grass stalks in 5-millimetre (0.20 in)-long streaks. The Aardwolf also have scent glands on the forefoot and penile pad. They often mark near Termite mounds within their territory every 20 minutes or so. If they are patrolling their territorial boundaries, the marking frequency increases drastically, to once every 50m (160 ft). At this rate, an individual may mark 60 marks per hour, and upwards of 200 per night.
An Aardwolf pair may have up to 10 dens, and numerous faeces middens, within their territory. Their dens are usually abandoned Aardvark, Springhare or Porcupine dens. They typically will only use one or two dens at a time, rotating through all of their dens every six months. During the summer, they may rest outside their den during the night and sleep underground during the heat of the day.
Aardwolf are not fast runners nor are they particularly adept at fighting off predators. Therefore, when threatened, the Aardwolf may attempt to mislead its foe by doubling back on its tracks. If confronted, it may raise its mane in an attempt to appear more menacing. It also emits a foul-smelling liquid from its anal glands.
The Aardwolf feeds primarily on termites. Their technique consists of licking them off the ground as opposed to the Aardvark, which digs into the mound. They locate their food by sound and also from the scent secreted by the soldier Termites. They do not destroy the termite mound or consume the entire colony, thus ensuring that the Termites can rebuild and provide a continuous supply of food. They often memorise the location of such nests and return to them every few months. When defecating, an Aardwolf can deposit 10% of its body weight in faeces that are 2 inches in diameter, mainly consisting of termite heads and soil.
In South Africa, breeding occurs in early July. During the breeding season, unpaired male Aardwolves search their own territory, as well as others, for a female to mate with. Gestation lasts between 89 and 92 days, producing two or three cubs during the rainy season (November–December), when termites are more active. They are born with their eyes open, but initially are helpless and weigh around 200–350 g (7.1–12.3 oz). The first six to eight weeks are spent in the den with their parents. The male may spend up to six hours a night watching over the cubs while the mother is out looking for food. After three months, they begin supervised foraging, and by four months are normally independent, though they often share a den with their mother until the next breeding season. By the time the next set of cubs is born, the older cubs have moved on. Aardwolf generally achieve sexual maturity at one and a half to two years of age.
Predators such as Leopard, Lion and Spotted Hyena will kill one or both Aardwolf adults and cubs, however Black-backed Jackal often only target Aardwolf cubs.
Aardwolf live in open, dry plains and bushland, avoiding mountainous areas. Due to their specific food requirements, they are found only in regions where Termites of the family Hodotermitidae occur. Termites of this family depend on dead and withered grass and are most populous in heavily grazed grasslands and savannahs, including farmland. For most of the year, Aardwolves spend time in shared territories consisting of up to a dozen dens, which are occupied for six weeks at a time.
There are two distinct populations: one in Southern Africa, and another in East and Northeast Africa. An adult pair, along with their most-recent offspring, occupies a territory of 1–4 km2 (0.39–1.54 sq mi).
Planning carefully is the key to a good Aardwolf taxidermy job. When tanning and oiling the hides, the best chemicals and methods in the world are used to make sure they will last for generations. At Lifeform Taxidermy, we carefully choose our forms to make sure they fit well, and we’ll even custom make the forms according to any instruction, you may have in mind, at no extra cost. Full-mount trophies come with standard natural habitat bases that are made just for them. We use only the best materials and our 40 years of experience in the field to give your trophies new meaning. The finished trophies look life-like. When repair is needed, every effort is made to repair cuts and scrapes while keeping bullet damage to a minimum. Skin preparation and storage tips for a flawless Aardwolf trophy.
Take care of your trophy before you bring it to the taxidermist – field preparation is the most important start. As soon as you take the hit on your trophy, it starts to rot, and the heat of Africa speeds up the decaying process. The hunter must not drag the body of the animal from the site where it was shot to the waiting hunting truck. The trophy should be protected from the hot metal bed of the hunting truck with a thick layer of cut grass or leaves.
So that nothing goes wrong, the skinning needs to start right away. Remove all of the meat, fat, dirt, and blood from the skin. Clean the skin well. After that, allow the skin to drip dry for a short time, it should then be salted. It is recommended to soak the skin in a salt solution for at least five hours and ideally overnight. Use about 20 kg of salt per 100 litres of water. After taking the skin out of the solution, salt it while it is still flat and flesh side up on a clean surface. To get the full effect of the salt, it needs to be absorbed into the skin all over, into all the crevice’s, especially around the facial features. Put the skin in the shade with a layer of salt on it. After 24 hours, dry the cape. Fold with the hair and ears in when it’s dry. To stop insect damage, pesticides must be sprayed on the skin and in the storage area.
It thrives in open areas with low, shrubby vegetation. It is a nocturnal creature that forages for food at night and sleeps during the day. Aardwolves tend to live in packs, with each pack having their own area that spans approximately three kilometres and perhaps housing as many as 10 dens. In most cases, the dens are just bigger versions of original Aardvark, Porcupine, or small Springhare burrows. They are timid creatures that will try to fool their assailant by running backwards in their tracks. They are slow, and when cornered, they’ll either puff up their mane to make themselves look larger or release a foul-smelling substance. A small calibre rifle is all that’s required for hunting the elusive Aardwolf in Africa. The Aardwolf trophy won’t require extensive taxidermy work if a.223 or .243 calibre rifle is used and a high-quality bullet that won’t explode upon impact. The ideal location for the bullet is about a third of the way up the torso, right behind the shoulder.
How you choose an Aardwolf taxidermy mount depends on things like your budget, wall space, and personal taste. When it comes to the creation of a full mount, we find that considerable discussion with the customer yields the best results. This is due to the fact that each form is given a distinct shape and arrangement.
Life-Form Taxidermy will make an exact copy of the skin as soon as they get all of your mounting instructions. All of the skins are tanned and oiled with high-quality products and methods to make sure they are preserved for years. Each skin is put on a manikin to make sure that it fits well. After the eyes and ears are expertly placed, the skin is sewn by a professional. Before making any last changes, the taxidermist waits until the animal is dry. They put the trophies in crates, and the shipping company hired by the client brings them to the client.
Every year, dust the mounts with a soft brush or compressed air to fluff up the hair. Trophies should be protected from common pests by spraying a light mist of normal aerosol surface pesticide around them. Think about preserving your trophy with Mount Medix Africa. This is a product that Life-Form Taxidermy offers.
Keep trophies in a cool, dry place. Daylight makes the mounts fade over time, so artificial light is better. If there’s too much humidity, open the windows or turn on a fan. Due to salt and tan residue, hair can make moisture beads when the humidity is high. Using a tissue that soaks up water will also soak up the salts.
The pricing of any trophy is subject to the costing stipulated per taxidermy order, quantity of trophies and preferred mounting options, along with additional requirements.
Should you wish to receive a quotation prior to the hunt, the taxidermist can generate such for you. Please contact [email protected]
Taxidermy is an art form that involves a complicated step-by-step process to make sure that each trophy looks just right and is of a high enough quality that it will last your whole life.
The time it takes a taxidermist to mount an animal might range from days to weeks, and possibly several months, depending on the quantity of trophies per taxidermy order, the display preferences, and volumes of client trophies to be produced, simultaneously, per production schedule.
This depends largely on the “what, how, when” factors. A taxidermy order also only becomes available for production scheduling upon receipt of the required deposit and trophy mounting instructions.
