Impact of Climate Change on Aardvarks | 29 Dec 2023

A recent study from Oregon State University highlights the vulnerability of Aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) in sub-Saharan Africa (south of the Sahara Desert) to the impacts of climate change.

• Study reveals a concerning trend as increasingly dry landscapes isolate aardvarks, making them susceptible to rapid climate warming.
  • Aridification (a gradual process of a region becoming drier) impacts their distribution and movement, with long-term droughts becoming more likely, particularly in the Horn of Africa.
• The Aardvark, a nocturnal mammal native to Africa, belongs to the Tubulidentata order and is the sole living species within this group.
  • Aardvarks are burrowing mammals found across the southern two-thirds of Africa, primarily in savannah and semiarid areas.
  • They are essential to the ecosystem as they feed on termites, which can damage human-built structures, and their burrows provide crucial habitat for numerous other species.
  • The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Least Concern.

Read more: Global Climate Crisis and Net Zero