Post #14413

Aardwolf: The weakest wolf in the world. And it’s not a wolf! Even in our enlightened times, wolves are still dangerous. They are strong, calculating, and act in packs. They do not hesitate to break into villages to steal dogs and bully livestock. They even appear on the outskirts of cities to take control of landfills. But compared to them, the aardwolf is just a dandelion boy. Small, kind, cute and absolutely harmless to us. Unless you're a giant termite, of course. Aardwolves live in the bushland of Eastern and Southern Africa. But even locals rarely see them, because wolves are purely nocturnal. During the day they sit in holes and do not stick out. After all, there is a dangerous world outside with lions and spotted hyenas, and an adult wolf weighs only 10-15 kilograms, it is smaller than the average dog! Well, where does he and his frail muscles fit into the hunting ranks? But at night the animals come to the surface and... They begin to pollute it copiously! The family territory of aardwolves is very small, from 1 to 4 kilometers of personal space. But every 50-100 meters it is decorated with piles of excrement and scent marks. So that even the stupidest aardwolf with a completely damaged sense of smell would understand that it is better for him not to meddle here. The place is busy. Family territories of wolves are separated by vast common lands, where the animals do not dig holes for themselves, but spend a significant part of the night. After all, key sources of food are located there - termite mounds. An aardwolf can kill up to 300,000 termites in one night. But here’s what’s surprising: the colonies don’t die. After all, wolves have three strict rules for population control. So, the rules: First: never destroy a termite mound. Lick insects only from the surface. Second: let the termite mound recover. Visit it once every few weeks, or better yet, once every few months. Third: if it hurts, don’t touch it. Better go to the next termite mound and let this one recover. And this is so unlike our wolves. Instead of large flocks, there are family groups and solitary hunting. Instead of strength - caution. And instead of hunting for large prey, there is the humiliating licking of insects. Which, however, is not surprising, since an aardwolf is not a wolf at all. This is a hyena. The hyena is small, weak and quite cute. While all other types of hyenas hunt and search for carrion, the aardwolf has chosen a completely different niche. The animals peacefully lick the termites and do not glow again. Why someone decided to call a hyena a wolf is an open question... Author: Yaroslav Ilyin 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot