The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-06-07
AARD-vARK is
WELCOMED TO
NATIONAL zoo
Waffly- NoSed' Animal, Afri-
can Ant Eater, Only One
of Species in u. S.

Copyright. 1884 by Science service)
WASHINGTON, June 7.-Waffles
the Aard-Vark, has come to Wash
ington to live in the national zoolo-
gical park. Director Bill" Man is
as proud of his new charge as a
father of a brand-new son, for
Waff1es is the only Aard-Vark now
living in America, and is the third
of his kind ever to have been
brought to an American geological
park. The other two, one in New
York and one in Philadelphia, are
no longer living.
Waf1es get his name, DR.. Mann
explains, because of his "waf1y"
nose-Dr. Mann is a devoted reader
and quoter of A. A. Milne. That
nose is in more than one sense
Waf1les' elading feature, and goes
far to explain the grotesque rest OF
Waffles himself. Its rubbery, ner-
vous. necessarily active tip, with a
comic little tangled mustache stick
ing out of its end, is constantly
inquisitive about everything; the
edges of his cage, a keepers prof.
fered hand, the redolence of the
polish on visitors shoes, the
strong symphony OF scents from all
the other cages in the house where
he lives. A truly remarkable, in
tensely "waf1y" nose.
Waf1les "schnozzle," though as
.tonishing rather than beautiful is
nevertheless his fortune. For the
HARDWARE is an ant-eater, and that
long Snout, with its nervous nose
atip and a Pickering sticky tongue
working from underneath, plays
havoc with the sWarming popula-
tons of the towering termite heaps
of his native veldt, after the for
midable claws at the ends of his
short, thick, powerful legs have
preached the walls.
The Aard-Vark is also a great de-
stroyer of locusts, which are even
more of a plague in his native
South Africa than their cousins,
the grasShoppers, are in our own
west. Real ants, as distinguished
from termiteS, do not form so large
a part of his natural diet, but he
eats them and practically all other
kinds of insects he can find.
In captivity, Waffles' diet con-
sists in part of milk and eggs-or-
thodox waffle ingredients. His
third staple is hamburger steak.
Since Aard-Varks are poorly
equipped with teeth, having only
molars or grinders" but no bit
ing front teeth, Waffles must be
supplied with pre- chewed food, to
simulate as nearly as possible the
small unit sizes of his natural prov
ender. DR.. Mann states that the
two former AardVarks in this
country were also given oatmeal and
hominy, as roughage.
Waffles is not particularly clever
animal, but is quite inoffensive and
docile, apparently likes to have his
head scratched, and resists han
ding only as pig might, by plant
ing himself solidly and letting you
do all the pushing. Having no
front teeth, he could not bite, even
if he wanted to, which he appar-
emily doesn't.
DR.. Mann acquired Waffles from
a prominent German geological
dealer in Hanover. He arrived sleek
and fat and unruffled; evidently
they understand the care and feed
ing of Aard-VarkS in Hanover.
Aard- Varks were discovered by
some of the earliest modern adven-
turers around Cape Horn; there is
a description and picture of one in
a famous old natural history book,
the "Ortus Sanitatis," published the
year before Columbus discovered
America. There it was called
'suillus," which is Latin for little
pig"
They were given their odd mod
ern name by the Boer-Dutch set
tiers. Aard-Vark is Dutch for
"earth-pig';; but aside from being
short-legged and thick-bodied the
animal bears no resemblance to a
pig. Indeed, if it were not for the
enormous jackass-like ears, it might
be taken almost as a model for an
modern stream-lined automo-
bile. It's chunky body trails a
tapering, thick-based f1eshy tail.
The whole creature is covered with
a sparse growth of coarse, straight,
b.'istly hair.
In its native state, the Aard-Vark
lives in burrows, usually concealed
under grass or brush. This makes it
a constant menace to horsemen on
the veldt. 1t can dig itself in so fast
that a gang of men with spades
have hard time pursuing il into
the ground.
Aard-Varks are now found only in
Africa, particularly in South Africa,
but they once had relatives in
America. Two years ago, DR.. G. L.
Jepson of Princeton university de-
Seribed some fossi, remains from
Wyoming which slowed by their
teeth that thew belonged to the
sarce order of animals. There were
even digestive remains found with
the bones that indicated an insect
diet preference IN the par CT these
long gone American Aard-Vark kin
beasts. But that was in rne early
eocene-some :ifsy-odd million years
ago.
So II WaffleS wants a neighborly
chat with another Aard-Vark he
will have to invite one of his living
relatives over from South America.
4-nIRnFn AIITA FAIIMR