The Bourbon news., 1913-09-16
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-Dld you ever see al
aard-vark? asks writer in the New
York World. Perhaps you know 1t
better by its Latin name, orycteropus!
No? They haven't got one in the 20
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
aard-vark is a delicate animal, accord
ing to Curator Ditmars, and not easily
acclimated.
The aardzvarth was thought to be
myth until the Dutch and English De-
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 70
be accurate.
The Paris museum has just received
an orycteropus, which it has had
stuffed and placed on exhibition.
There are three species, and that in
Paris is the excessively rare Orycter-
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 aard-vark belongs to the order
| of Edentata, SO called because its
/ members are either toothless or have
! only rudimentary or defective teeth.
! 1t is a cousin of the ant bears, the
armadilloes and the pangolins OF
| South America. 1t is about six feet
long, including the tail, and about
twenty inches high. It's back 1s
arched, it's head long and ending IN
a snout like pigs. only sharper and
longer. It's forelegs are short, it's hind
legs much larger, like those of kan
garoo, and it's tail is heavy and almost
as long as it's body. It's ears are long
and erect, like an ass. 1t has small,
piggy eyes, very thick skin, like, a a
pigs, covered with sparsely scatterfead erfead
hair, and yellow all over. ef,
It's tonge is very long, extensive and
always covered with gummy, saliYa.
1t protrudes from a mouth that is lit
tie more than a round hole The
young animal has eight mOIIfars in the
upper jaw and six in the loYer, but
the adult has only five above, and four
below. and all of these are rudiamfn
tary. IN, - s1l
The Ethiopian 'Isp SPECIES caieess1l lives in the
dessert, always near ant hills, for the
ants are it's food. :, In the daytirh rhe"it
stays curled up and asleep in al bur
row which it closes, behind IT, T, e digs
hole ,eyen jim, the, hardest hIlalp grlouue
with incredible rapidity and disap
pears in few moments, for thel fou
. toes On It's front feet are~afmedsawin
strong claws which it plies rapidly
scooping OUT tzfheg earth and fthro oWinl
it behind itself in a great cloud o
dust
Af/night it 'emerges and goes ou
hunting for ant hills. AS soon as l
has found one it makes sure that n
danger is. mehacing, then it lies dow
with it's snout against the ant hill
!, puts out its. .tongue as far as it ca
! nd waits. soon it's tongue is coTere
with ants, caught like flies on sNck
) fypaper Then<tt draws in its tohga'
J chews Up. the ants and begins again.
s Luis very timfd and ,sp, keen of ca
4 thatsit catches every. faint sound. A
i EHk shghtest afarn;;tts asgs hole an
4 buries Itself. 1t never attacks an.
/ thing but insects, yet when attacke
z 1t defends itself with it's powerfl
= claws in a way that makes 1t DANCE
= Gus.
q When SURPRISED by the hunter it