These teeth are surrounded by cementum. A sticky, round, thin, long tongue and well developed salivary glands help the aardvark capture its prey. Its stomach has a muscular pyloric area that functions like a gizzard, grinding up food. Both sexes have an anal scent gland which emit a strong smelling, yellow secretion. Aardvark feed mostly on ants and termites.
Ants dominate the diet during the dry season, termites during the rainy season.
Smell and hearing play an important role in locating food. They keep their snout close to the ground and ears propped forward and follow a zigzag course when seeking food. Little is known about reproduction, but young are probably born just before the rainy season when termites are available. Only one young is born at a weight of approximately 2 kg. It stays with the mother until the next mating season.