A Star Is Born: For the First Time, Aardvark Cub Born at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park has a new resident: a newborn baby aardvark, the first ever born at the park.

The cub was born in July to mother Padmae and father Azaan, who also sired a cub born at the San Diego Zoo in 2022.

Aardvarks are unique-appearing nocturnal burrowing animals with badger-like paws and a long snout that is shaped something like a pig’s; in fact, their name is Afrikaans for “earth pig.”

The creatures, which are native to sub-Saharan Africa, are not currently endangered. However, they are at increasing risk due to habitat loss and other human activities, and because they are solitary and nocturnal, little is known about their reproduction and birthing habits.

What is known is that after a gestation of about seven months, aardvarks give birth to one calf at a time. As the baby matures, their mother teaches them essential skills, such as how to locate and dig for ants and termites, which make up the majority of their diet and which their long and sticky tongues are adept at slurping up from mounds and anthills.

Through behavioral observation and hormone analyses, teams at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance are now gathering reproductive, sleep, nursing, weight, and growth data from the aardvark family in order to better understand aardvark biology.