American aardwolf

The **American aardwolf** (*Psudeoproteles myrmecophaga*), also known as the **North American aardwolf**, the **American brown hyena** (due to its fur, which is largely brown in color like the brown hyena (*Hyaena brunnea*)), the **American ant-eating hyena**, and the **American civet-hyena**, is a species of hyena that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the swamps, marshlands, forests, open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, scrublands, and deserts across North America to help boost biodiversity and combat invasive ant and termite species that are devastating some native North American species (for example, tortoises are negatively impacted by invasive fire ants as they hunt them, making them nearly endangered, however, the American aardwolves feed on many species of ants and termites, including fire ants, with no effect, and the native species like North American tortoises are starting to recover). Unlike many of its relatives in the order Carnivora and like the African aardwolf (*Proteles cristata*), the American aardwolf does not hunt large animals. Instead, it feeds only on insects and their larvae, mainly termites and ants; one American aardwolf can lap up as many as 250,000 termites/ants during a single night using its long, sticky tongue. The American aardwolf's tongue has adapted to be tough enough to withstand the strong bites and stings of termites and ants. As an American aardwolf ages, it will normally lose some of its teeth, though this has little impact on its feeding habits due to the softness of the insects that it eats. It is oftentimes known as the American civet-hyena based on its habit of secreting substances from its anal gland, a characteristic shared with the African civets (*Civettictis civetta*). Also like the African aardwolf, the American aardwolf is largely nocturnal, usually resting in burrows during the day and emerging at night to seek for food. The American aardwolves will, on occasion during the winter, become diurnal feeders. This happens during the coldest periods as they then stay in at night to conserve heat. They have often been mistaken for solitary animals. In fact, they live as monogamous pairs with their young. If their territory is infringed upon, they will chase the intruder up to 400 m (1,300 ft) or to the border. If the intruder is caught, which rarely happens, a fight will occur, which is accompanied by soft clucking, hoarse barking, and a type of roar. The majority of incursions occur during mating season, when they can occur once or twice per week. Despite this, the American aardwolves tolerate the presence of other animal species, including other insect-eating animals. When food is scarce, the stringent territorial system may be abandoned and as many as three pairs may occupy a single territory. An aardwolf pair may have up to 10 dens, and numerous feces middens, within their territory. When they deposit excreta at their middens, they dig a small hole and cover it with sand. Their dens are usually abandoned aarvark, springhare, or bear dens, or on occasion they are crevices in rocks. They will also dig their own dens, or enlarge dens started by other animals. They typically will only use one or two dens at a time, rotating through all of their dens every six months. During the summer, they may rest outside their den during the night, and sleep underground during the heat of the day. The conservation status of the American aardwolf is **Least Concern** due to successful conservation efforts, the American aardwolf's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.