Their limbs are modified for digging into the very hard termite mounds found in African savannahs. The nails are actually somewhere between true nail and hoof in form. They are strongly constructed, shovel-like, and obviously adapted for digging.
Aardvark skin is thick and sparsely haired.
The thickness of the skin protects these animals from biting ants, and aardvarks may sleep in the ant nests they have recently excavated for feeding. The skulls of aardvarks are elongate and conical, and aardvarks have a more elaborate set of turbinal bones than any other mammal. The zygomatic arch is complete. No enamel is present on their cheek teeth , which are made up of hexagonal prisms of dentine that can be seen under a dissecting microscope. These teeth are, however, surrounded by a layer of cementum .