Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1913-09-19
KIN OF ANT EATER
South African Animal That Digs
Hole and Disappears.
Aard-vark Has Only Rudimentary
Teeth With Legs Like Those of
the kangaroo-Specimens Very
Hard to Secure

New York.-Did you ever see an
hardware? asks a writer in the New
York World. Perhaps you know it
better by It's Latin name, orycteropus2
No? They haven't got one In the zo-
illogical collection in Bronx park. nor.
SO far as the writer has been able
to learn, in any OF the famous ZOOS or
menageries of the world For the
hardware is delicate animal. accord
ing to Curator Ditmars. and not easily
acclimated.
The aard-varth was thought to be a
myth until the Dutch and English be-
gan to settle Africa. 1t was first de-
scribed by p. Kobe in 1742 IN an ac-
count OF his travels in Cape Colony.
but Button called in question his de-
scription. However. this is known to
be accurate.
The Paris museum has just received
an orycteropns, which il has had
stuffed and placed on exhibition.
There are three species. and that Ia
Paris is the excessively rare Oryeter-
opus Ethiopicus from the regions OF
the Blue Nile and Abyssinia The
commonest species is that which is
found In eastern and southern Africa
as far north as Angola. The third
species is peculiar to Senegambia
The hardware belongs to the order
OF Edentata, so called because It's
members are either toothless or have
only rudimentary or detective teeth
1t is q cousin of the ant bears. tho
armadilloes and the pangolins OF
South America. II Is about six feet
long. including the tail. and about
twenty inches high. It's back is
arched. its head long and ending In
snout like u pigs, only sharper and
longer Its forelegs are short. it's hind
legs much larger, like those OF kan
CARGO. and its tail Ia heavy and almost
las long as its body. Its ears are long
and erect, like an ass II has small,
piggy eyes. very thick skin. Rae
pigs, covered with sparsely scattered
hair, and yellow all over.
Its tongc is very long. extensive and
always covered with a gummy saliva.
II protrudes from mouth that is lit.
tie more than round hole The
young animal has eight molars Ia the
upper Jaw and six in the lower. but
the adult has only flse above and four
below, and all Of these are rudiamcn-
tary
The Ethiopian species lives in the
dessert, always near ant hills, for tho
ants are Its food In the daytime II
stays curled up and asleep In bur-
row which IT closes behind It. Il digs
hole even In the hardest ground
with incredible rapidity and disap-
pears In few moments. for the four
toes on Its front feet are armed with
strong claws which It plies rapidly.
scooplng out the earth and throwing
it behind Itself in great cloud OF
dust
At night II cauerges and goes out
hunting for ant hills. AS soon as II
has found one II makes sure that no
danger Ia menacing. then II lies down
with its snout against the ant hin.
puts out Its tongue as far as II can
and waits Soon its tongue Is covered
with ants, caught like flies on sticky
~ paper AeH ~ uIuWH III llb tongue,
chews up the ants and begins again
II Is very timid and so keen OF ear
that It catches every faint sound At
the slightest alarm II digs hole and
buries itself It never attacks any.
thing but insects. yet when attacked
1t defends itself with It's powerful
claws in way that makes 1t danger
Gus.
When surprised by the bunter.it al
most always has its head and shoul-
ders 10 hole. and IL takes so tight
grip on the earth that II the hunter
tries to pull II forth he Is almost GER
tain to fail.
It's flesh Is highly priced In Africa
and II is said to taste like pork II Is
easily tanned in It's native land. and
in the days OF Egypt's ancient great
ness must have beer pet for ladies'.
as ON the tomb of Abd-el-Gournah OF
the nineteenth dynasty there Is
craven a picture OF a noblewoman
with an orycteropus following her like
dog.