aardvark

The natural world is rife with leftovers. Over the course of evolution, body parts that no longer benefit their owners eventually waste, away leaving behind shrivelled and useless anatomical remnants. The human tailbone is one such example. Others include the sightless eyes of cavefish that live in total darkness, the tiny spurs on boas and pythons that hint at the legs of their ancestors, and the withered wings of the Galapagos cormorant, an animal that dispensed with flight on an island bereft of land predators. Animal genomes contain similar remains. Just like organs, genes also waste…
Sometimes called an "antbear" in its native Africa, its name actually means "Earth Pig" in Dutch. However, the aardvark is not related to bears, pigs, or the naked mouse featured previously, despite some outward resemblance. Aardvark's are classified in their own order, Tubulidentata, which references the unique tubular structure inside their teeth. Living on a diet of termites and ants, humans hunt antbears because they look so delicious... 2 Day Old Baby Aardvark 6 Week Old Baby Aardvark Mom and Pup, orycteropus afer