Unlike the larger hyena which have only four toes on their forefeet, aardwolves have five toes, and for this reason, are sometimes placed in a separate family, Protelidae . Their teeth are small and widely spaced. Loners who forge separately, these animals can squirt an effluvium from anal glands, as effective a defense as skunks'. A pair of aardwolves temporarily occupy territories with their most recent offspring. Territories are marked by both male and female with smear from anal glands.
Serious fights occur if an intruder is caught inside a territory, especially during mating season.
Gestation is between 90-110 days. In the southern part of their range, in November and December, females give birth to single litters of two to four cubs, born blind and helpless. Cubs spend six to eight weeks in the den. At about three months, they begin foraging with a parent, and by four months, forage on their own. No, not at the present time.