aardwolf

[ahrd-woolf]

noun

plural

aardwolves 

1. a striped, hyenalike mammal, Proteles cristatus, of southern and eastern Africa, that feeds chiefly on insects.

aardwolf

/ ˈɑːdˌwʊlf /

noun

1. a nocturnal mammal, Proteles cristatus, that inhabits the plains of southern Africa and feeds on termites and insect larvae: family Hyaenidae (hyenas), order Carnivora (carnivores)

Word History and Origins

Origin of aardwolf¹

1825–35; < Afrikaans erdwolf < Dutch aardwolf, equivalent to aarde earth + wolf wolf

Word History and Origins

Origin of aardwolf¹

C19: from Afrikaans, from aarde earth + wolf wolf

Example Sentences

They have their own family, Hyaenidae, comprising four species: the spotted hyena, striped hyena, brown hyena, and the aardwolf, which isn’t a wolf but looks like one.  

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But included also in the image sets are some rare and elusive animals, such as the aardwolf and the zorilla.

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Africa is home to the aardvark, the sole living member of the order Tubulidentata; the aardwolf, a hyena relative; and pangolins, or scaly anteaters, also in their own order, Pholidota.

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When the aardwolf came back, and sniffed out what he had done, he said things.

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Like the aardvark—whose name means "earth pig"—the aardwolf feasts on insects in termite mounds. 

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