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{{Short description|Insectivorous African mammal}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Speciesbox
| taxon = Proteles cristatus
| authority = ([[Anders Sparrman|Sparrman]], 1783)
| display_parents = 2
| fossil_range = [[Pleistocene]] – [[Recent]]
| image = Aardwolf, Buffalo Springs National Park, Kenya 1 (cropped).jpg
| image_caption = An aardwolf in [[Buffalo Springs National Reserve]], [[Kenya]]
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |title=''Proteles cristata'' |author=Green, D.S. |date=2015 |article-number=e.T18372A45195681 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T18372A45195681.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| range_map = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-width=200|from=Aardwolf range.map}}
| range_map_caption = Aardwolf range
{{leftlegend|#1e5833|Extant (resident)}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Proteles cristata (Sparrman, 1783) |url=https://www.gbif.org/species/2433502 |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=www.gbif.org |language=en}}</ref>
| synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets=true
|title={{small|Synonymy}}
|''Proteles cristata'' {{small|Sparrman, 1783}}
|''Proteles typicus'' {{small|Smith, 1834}}
|''Viverra cristata'' {{small|Sparrman, 1783}}
|''Viverra hyenoides'' {{small|Desmarest, 1820}}}}
}}

The '''aardwolf''' ('''''Proteles cristatus'''''<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Werdelin |first1=L. |last2=Kitchener |first2=A. C. |last3=Abramov |first3=A. |last4=Veron |first4=G. |last5=Do Linh San |first5=E. |date=2021 |title=The Scientific Name of the Aardwolf is ''Proteles cristatus'' |url=https://bioone.org/journals/african-journal-of-wildlife-research/volume-51/issue-1/056.051.0149/The-Scientific-Name-of-the-Aardwolf-is-Proteles-cristatus/10.3957/056.051.0149.short |journal=African Journal of Wildlife Research |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=149–152 |doi=10.3957/056.051.0149 |bibcode=2021AfJWR..51..149W |s2cid=242046818|url-access=subscription }}</ref>) is an [[insectivore|insectivorous]] [[hyena|hyaenid]] species, native to [[East Africa|East]] and [[Southern Africa]]. Its name means "earth-wolf" in [[Afrikaans]] and [[Dutch language|Dutch]].<ref name=EB/><ref>[https://www.dsae.co.za/entry/aardwolf/e00016 "Aardwolf, n."] ''Dictionary of South African English''. Dictionary Unit for South African English, 2018. Web. 25 February 2019.</ref> It is also called the '''maanhaar-jackal'''<ref name="OED">{{harvnb|Oxford English Dictionary Online|2013}}</ref><ref>[https://www.dsae.co.za/entry/maanhaar/e04395#maanhaar-jackal "Maanhaar, n."] ''Dictionary of South African English''. Dictionary Unit for South African English, 2018. Web. 25 February 2019.</ref> (Afrikaans for "mane-jackal"), '''termite-eating hyena'''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Macintyre|first=G. T. |title=Evolutionary Biology |chapter=The Trisulcate Petrosal Pattern of Mammals |date=1972 |volume=6 |pages=275–303 |editor-last=Dobzhansky|editor-first=T. |publisher=Springer US |doi=10.1007/978-1-4684-9063-3_9 |isbn=978-1-4684-9063-3 |editor2-last=Hecht|editor2-first=M. K.|editor3-last=Steere|editor3-first=W. C.}}</ref> and '''civet hyena''', based on its habit of secreting substances from its [[anal gland]], a characteristic shared with the [[African civet]].<ref name=ingo/>

Unlike many of its relatives in the order [[Carnivora]], the aardwolf does not hunt large [[animal]]s. It eats [[insect]]s and their [[larva]]e,<ref name="wff">{{harvnb|Anon|1998|p=144}}</ref> mainly [[termite]]s; one aardwolf can lap up as many as 300,000 termites during a single night{{sfn|Koepfli|Jenks|Eizirik|Zahirpour|2006}} using its long, sticky tongue. The aardwolf's tongue has adapted to be tough enough to withstand the strong bite of termites.<ref name=mh71/>

The aardwolf lives in the [[shrubland]]s of eastern and southern Africa – open lands covered with stunted trees and shrubs. It is [[nocturnal]], resting in [[burrow]]s during the day and emerging at night to seek food.

==Taxonomy==
The aardwolf is generally classified as part of the hyena family [[Hyaenidae]]. However, it was formerly placed in its own family Protelidae.{{refn|group=nb|Some sources such as Coetzee in Meester and Setzer (1977), Köhler and Ricardson (1990), and Yalden, Largen, and Koch (1980), classify the aardwolf in its own family still.<ref name=w1>{{harvnb|Nowak|2005|pp=222–223}}</ref>}} Early on, scientists felt that it was merely mimicking the [[striped hyena]], which subsequently led to the creation of Protelidae.<ref>{{harvnb|Brottman|2012|pp=28–29}}</ref> Recent studies have suggested that the aardwolf probably diverged from other hyaenids early on; how early is still unclear, as the fossil record and genetic studies disagree by 10 million years.<ref name=koe>{{harvnb|Koepfli|Jenks|Eizirik|Zahirpour|2006|p=615}}</ref>{{refn| group = nb |The fossil record shows 18–20&nbsp;mya, and genetic studies indicate roughly 10.6&nbsp;mya.<ref name=koe/>}}

The aardwolf is the only surviving species in the [[subfamily]] Protelinae. There is disagreement as to whether the species is [[Monotypic taxon|monotypic]],<ref name=Woz>{{harvnb|Wozencraft|2005|p=573}}</ref> or can be divided into [[subspecies]]. A 2021 study found the genetic differences in eastern and southern aardwolves may be pronounced enough to categorize them as species.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Allio |first1=Rémi |last2=Tilak |first2=Marie-Ka |last3=Scornavacca |first3=Celine |last4=Avenant |first4=Nico L |last5=Kitchener |first5=Andrew C |last6=Corre |first6=Erwan |last7=Nabholz |first7=Benoit |last8=Delsuc |first8=Frédéric |date=2021-02-18 |editor-last=Perry |editor-first=George H |editor2-last=Perry |editor2-first=George H |title=High-quality carnivoran genomes from roadkill samples enable comparative species delineation in aardwolf and bat-eared fox |journal=eLife |volume=10 |article-number=e63167 |doi=10.7554/eLife.63167 |doi-access=free |pmid=33599612 |pmc=7963486 |issn=2050-084X}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable "
|-
! Image !! Subspecies !! Distribution
|-
|[[File:Aardwolf, Proteles cristata, at Lion and Rhino Reserve, Gauteng, South Africa (47987215058).jpg|180px]]||''P. c. cristatus'' ||[[Southern Africa]]
|-
|[[File:Aardwolf, Buffalo Springs National Park, Kenya 1 (cropped).jpg|180px]]||''P. c. septentrionalis'' {{au|Rothschild, 1902}} ||[[East Africa]].<ref name=ingo/><ref name=mh33/>
|-
|}

A 2006 molecular analysis indicates it is phylogenetically the most basal of the four extant hyaenidae species.{{sfn|Koepfli|Jenks|Eizirik|Zahirpour|2006}}

{{clade |style=font-size:90%; line-height:100%;
 |label1='''[[Hyaenidae]]'''
 |1={{clade
   |label1=
   |1={{clade
     |1='''''Proteles cristatus''''' (aardwolf) [[File:The life of animals (Colored Plate 4) (proteles cristatus).jpg|60 px]]
     }}
   |2={{clade
     |1=''[[Spotted hyena|Crocuta crocuta]]'' (spotted hyena) [[File:Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) by Connor Ashbridge.png|80 px]]
     |2={{clade
        |1=''[[Striped hyena|Hyaena hyaena]]'' (striped hyena) [[File:Hyaena striata - 1818-1842 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam -(white background).jpg|70 px]]
        |2=''[[Brown hyena|Parahyaena brunnea]]'' (brown hyena) [[File:Hyaena fusca (white background).jpg|65 px]] 
        }}
     }}
 }} 
         
}}

==Etymology==
The [[genus|generic]] name ''Proteles'' is derived from two words of [[Greek language|Greek]] origin: {{Langx|grc|πρῶτος}}, ''prōtos'' and {{Langx|grc|τέλειος}} ''téleios'', which combined mean "complete in front" referring to the aardwolf's five toes on the front paws and four on the hindpaws.<ref name=ingo/> 
The specific name ''cristatus'' is derived from [[Latin]] and means "provided with a comb or tuft", relating to its mane.<ref name=ingo/>

==Description==
{{multiple image |align=left |direction=vertical  |image1=Description iconographique comparée du squelette et du système dentaire des mammifères récents et fossiles (Proteles cristata skull).jpg |caption1=Dorsal and ventral aspect of skull |image2=Description iconographique comparée du squelette et du système dentaire des mammifères récents et fossiles (Proteles cristata).jpg |caption2=Skeleton}}
[[File:Aardwolf, Proteles cristata, at Lion and Rhino Reserve, Gauteng, South Africa (47987248651).jpg|thumb|Aardwolf with tongue exposed. Note the prominent [[Lingual papillae|papillae]].]]
The aardwolf resembles a much smaller and thinner [[striped hyena]], with a more slender [[snout|muzzle]], black vertical stripes on a coat of yellowish fur, and a long, distinct [[wikt:mane|mane]] down the midline of the neck and back. It also has one or two diagonal stripes down the fore and hindquarters and several stripes on its legs.<ref name=mh33>{{harvnb|Mills|Harvey|2001|p=33}}</ref> The mane is raised during confrontations to make the aardwolf appear larger. It is missing the throat spot that others in the family have.<ref name=ingo/> Its lower leg (from the knee down) is all black, and its tail is bushy with a black tip.<ref name=w1/>

The aardwolf is about {{cvt|55|to|80|cm}} long, excluding its bushy tail, which is about {{cvt|20|-|30|cm}} long,<ref name=EB>{{harvnb|Hoiberg|2010|p=4}}</ref><ref name=w1/> and stands about {{cvt|40|to|50|cm}} tall at the shoulders.<ref name="Colliers">{{harvnb|Goodwin|1997|p=3}}</ref> An adult aardwolf weighs approximately {{cvt|7|–|10|kg}}, sometimes reaching {{convert|15|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name=ingo>{{harvnb|Rieger|1990|pp=570–571}}</ref> The aardwolves in the south of the continent tend to be slightly smaller (about {{cvt|10|kg}}) than the eastern version (around {{cvt|14|kg}}). This makes the aardwolf the smallest extant member of the Hyaenidae family.<ref name=mh33/> The front feet have five toes each, unlike the four-toed hyena.<ref name=EB/><ref>{{harvnb|Brottman|2012|p=29}}</ref> The skull is similar in shape to those of other hyenas, though much smaller,<ref name=Colliers/> and its cheek teeth are specialised for eating insects.<ref name=EB/> It still has canines, but unlike other hyenas, these teeth are used primarily for fighting and defense.<ref name=w1/> Its ears, which are large,<ref name=w1/> are very similar to those of the striped hyena.<ref name=ingo/>

As an aardwolf ages, it will typically lose some of its teeth, though this has little impact on its feeding habits due to the softness of the insects that it eats.<ref name="wff" />

==Distribution and habitat==
Aardwolves live in open, dry plains and [[bushland]], avoiding mountainous areas.<ref name=w1/> Due to their specific food requirements, they are found only in regions where termites of the family [[Hodotermitidae]] occur. Termites of this family depend on dead and withered grass and are most populous in heavily grazed [[grassland]]s and [[savannah]]s, including [[arable land|farmland]]. For most of the year, aardwolves spend time in shared territories consisting of up to a dozen dens, which are occupied for six weeks at a time.<ref name="wff" />

There are two distinct populations: one in Southern Africa, and another in East and Northeast Africa. The species does not occur in the intermediary [[miombo]] forests.

An adult pair, along with their most-recent offspring, occupies a territory of {{convert|1|-|4|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.<ref name=mh108>{{harvnb|Mills|Harvey|2001|pp=108–109}}</ref>

==Behavior and ecology==
[[Image:Aardwolf.jpg|thumb|left|Aardwolf at the [[San Antonio Zoo and Aquarium|San Antonio Zoo]]]]
Aardwolves are shy and [[nocturnal animal|nocturnal]], sleeping in burrows by day.<ref name=EB/> They will, on occasion during the winter, become [[Diurnality|diurnal]] feeders. This happens during the coldest periods as they then stay in at night to conserve heat.<ref name=br30>{{harvnb|Brottman|2012|p=30}}</ref>

They are primarily solitary animals, though during mating season they form [[monogamous pairing in animals|monogamous pairs]] which occupy a territory with their young.<ref name="Richardson">Richardson, P. R. K. "[https://journals.co.za/content/sajsci/83/7/AJA00382353_5361?crawler=true&mimetype=application/pdf Aardwolf mating system: overt cuckoldry in an apparently monogamous mammal]." South African Journal of Science 83.7 (1987): 405.</ref><ref name="koel">{{harvnb|Koehler|Richardson|1990|p=4}}</ref> If their territory is infringed upon by another aardwolf, they will chase the intruder away for up to {{convert|400|m|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name=PKR/> or to the border.<ref name=mh108/> If the intruder is caught, which rarely happens,<ref name=mh108/> a fight will occur, which is accompanied by soft clucking,<ref name=br31/> hoarse barking, and a type of roar.<ref name=PKR/> The majority of incursions occur during mating season, when they can occur once or twice per week.<ref name=PKR/> When food is scarce, the stringent territorial system may be abandoned and as many as three pairs may occupy a single territory.<ref name=PKR/>

The territory is marked by both sexes, as they both have developed anal glands from which they extrude a black substance that is smeared on rocks or grass stalks in {{convert|5|mm|in|adj=on}}-long streaks.<ref name=PKR/> Aardwolves also have scent glands on the forefoot and penile pad.<ref>Stoeckelhuber, Mechthild, Alexander Sliwa, and Ulrich Welsch. "[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1097-0185(20000701)259:3%3C312::AID-AR80%3E3.0.CO;2-X/full Histo-physiology of the scent-marking glands of the penile pad, anal pouch, and the forefoot in the aardwolf (Proteles cristatus)]." The anatomical record 259.3 (2000): 312-326.</ref> They often mark near termite mounds within their territory every 20 minutes or so. If they are patrolling their territorial boundaries, the marking frequency increases drastically, to once every {{convert|50|m|ft|abbr=on}}. At this rate, an individual may mark 60 marks per hour,<ref name=PKR/> and upwards of 200 per night.<ref name=mh108/>

An aardwolf pair's territory may have up to 10 dens, and numerous [[Midden#Other definitions|midden]]s where they dig small holes and bury their feces with sand.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Estes |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g977LsZHpcsC&pg=PA347 |title=The Behavior Guide to African Mammals: Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Primates |date=1991 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-08085-0 |language=en}}</ref> Their dens are usually abandoned [[aardvark]], [[springhare]], or [[Old World porcupine|porcupine]] dens,<ref name=br31>{{harvnb|Brottman|2012|p=31}}</ref> or on occasion they are crevices in rocks. They will also dig their own dens, or enlarge dens started by [[springhare]]s.<ref name=PKR/> 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.

Aardwolves are not fast runners nor are they particularly adept at fighting off predators. Therefore, when threatened, the aardwolf may attempt to mislead its foe by doubling back on its tracks. If confronted, it may raise its mane in an attempt to appear more menacing. It also emits a foul-smelling liquid from its anal glands.<ref name=Colliers/>

===Feeding===
The aardwolf feeds primarily on termites and more specifically on ''[[Trinervitermes]]'' and ''[[Hodotermes]]''.<ref name=mh71>{{harvnb|Mills|Harvey|2001|p=71}}</ref><ref name="animaldiversity.org">{{cite web | url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Proteles_cristata/ | title=ADW: Proteles cristata: INFORMATION | website=[[Animal Diversity Web]] }}</ref> This genus of termites has different species throughout the aardwolf's range. In East Africa, they eat ''[[Trinervitermes bettonianus]]'', in central Africa, they eat ''[[Trinervitermes rhodesiensis]]'', and in southern Africa, they eat ''[[Trinervitermes trinervoides|T. trinervoides]]''.<ref name=EB/><ref name=mh71/><ref name=PKR>{{harvnb|Richardson|Bearder|1984|pp=158–159}}</ref> Their technique consists of licking them off the ground as opposed to the [[aardvark]], which digs into the mound.<ref name=br30/> They locate their food by sound and also from the scent secreted by the soldier termites.<ref name=PKR/> An aardwolf may consume up to 250,000 [[termites]] per night using its long, broad, sticky tongue.<ref name=mh71/><ref name="wff" />

They do not destroy the termite mound or consume the entire colony, thus ensuring that the termites can rebuild and provide a continuous supply of food. They often memorize the location of such nests and return to them every few months.<ref name=br31/> During certain seasonal events, such as the onset of the rainy season and the cold of midwinter, the primary termites become scarce, so the need for other foods becomes pronounced. During these times, the southern aardwolf will seek out ''[[Hodotermes mossambicus]]'', a type of [[harvester termite]]<ref name=PKR/> active in the afternoon, which explains some of their diurnal behavior in the winter.<ref name=mh71/> The eastern aardwolf, during the rainy season, subsists on termites from the genera ''[[Odontotermes]]'' and ''[[Macrotermes]]''.<ref name=mh71/> They are also known to feed on other insects and larvae, and, some sources mention, very occasionally small mammals and birds, but these constitute a very small percentage of their total diet.<ref name=PKR/> They use their wide tongues to lap surface foraging termites off of the ground and consume large quantities of sand in the process, which aids in digestion in the absence of teeth to break down their food.<ref name=Anderson1992>{{Cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=M. D. |last2=Richardson |first2=P. R. K. |last3=Woodall |first3=P. F. |date=1992 |title=Functional analysis of the feeding apparatus and digestive tract anatomy of the aardwolf ''Proteles cristatus'' |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=228 |issue=3 |pages=423–434 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1992.tb04445.x}}</ref>

Unlike other [[hyena]]s, aardwolves do not scavenge or kill larger animals.<ref name=w1/><ref name=br31/> Contrary to popular myths, aardwolves do not eat carrion, and if they are seen eating while hunched over a dead carcass, they are actually eating larvae and beetles.<ref name=w1/> Also, contrary to some sources, they do not like meat, unless it is finely ground or cooked for them.<ref name=w1/> The adult aardwolf was formerly assumed to forage in small groups,<ref name=Colliers/> but more recent research has shown that they are primarily solitary foragers,<ref name=koel/> necessary because of the scarcity of their insect prey. Their primary source, ''Trinervitermes'', forages in small but dense patches of {{cvt|25|-|100|cm}}.<ref name=PKR/> While foraging, the aardwolf can cover about {{cvt|1|km}} per hour, which translates to {{cvt|8|-|12|km}} per summer night and {{cvt|3|-|8|km}} per winter night.<ref name=w1/>

===Breeding===
The [[breeding season]] varies depending on location, but normally takes place during autumn or spring. In South Africa, breeding occurs in early July.<ref name=mh108/> During the breeding season, unpaired male aardwolves search their own territory, as well as others, for a female to mate with. Dominant males also mate opportunistically with the females of less dominant neighboring aardwolves,<ref name=mh108/> which can result in conflict between rival males.<ref name=ingo/> Dominant males even go a step further and as the breeding season approaches, they make increasingly greater and greater incursions onto weaker males' territories. As the female comes into [[oestrus]], they add pasting to their tricks inside of the other territories, sometimes doing so more in rivals' territories than their own.<ref name=mh108/> Females will also, when given the opportunity, mate with the dominant male, which increases the chances of the dominant male guarding "his" cubs with her.<ref name=mh108/> [[Copulation (zoology)|Copulation]] lasts between 1 and 4.5 hours.<ref name="Richardson"/><ref>{{cite thesis |author=Sliwa, A. |year=1996 |title=A functional analysis of scent marking and mating behaviour in the aardwolf ''Proteles cristatus''s (Sparrman, 1783) |type=PhD |publisher=University of Pretoria |place=Pretoria |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/35640520}}</ref>

[[Gestation]] lasts between 89 and 92 days,<ref name=ingo/><ref name=mh108/> producing two to five [[List of animal names|cubs]] (most often two or three) during the rainy season (October–December),<ref name=Colliers/> when termites are more active.<ref name=EB/> They are born with their eyes open, but initially are helpless,<ref name=PKR/> and weigh around {{cvt|200|-|350|g}}.<ref name=ingo/> The first six to eight weeks are spent in the [[Burrow|den]] with their parents.<ref name=br31/> The male may spend up to six hours a night watching over the cubs while the mother is out looking for food.<ref name=mh108/><ref name=PKR/> After three months, they begin supervised foraging, and by four months are normally independent, though they often share a den with their mother until the next breeding season.<ref name=br31/> By the time the next set of cubs is born, the older cubs have moved on.<ref name=mh108/> Aardwolves generally achieve [[sexual maturity]] at one and a half to two years of age.<ref name=ingo/>

==Conservation==
The aardwolf has not seen decreasing numbers and is relatively widespread throughout eastern Africa. They are not common throughout their range, as they maintain a density of no more than 1 per square kilometer, if food is abundant. Because of these factors, the IUCN has rated the aardwolf as [[least concern]].<ref name=iucn /> In some areas, they are persecuted because of the mistaken belief that they prey on livestock; however, they are actually beneficial to the farmers because they eat termites that are detrimental.<ref name=PKR/> In other areas, the farmers have recognized this, but they are still killed, on occasion, for their fur. Dogs and insecticides<ref name=iucn /> are also common killers of the aardwolf.<ref name=br31/>

===In captivity===
[[Image:Aardwolf.png|thumb|Illustration of ''Proteles cristatus'']]
[[Frankfurt Zoo]] in [[Germany]] was home to the oldest recorded aardwolf in captivity at 18 years and 11 months.<ref name=w1/>

==Notes==
{{Reflist | group = nb }}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
<!-- These sources are called by short-form references in the text. Removing them breaks things! -->
* {{cite book | author = Anon | title = Wildlife Fact File | publisher = IMP Publishing Ltd. | year = 1998 | volume = Group 1 | pages = Card 144 | no-pp = true | isbn = 978-1-886614-77-2 }}
* {{cite book |last=Brottman |first=M. |editor-last=Burt |editor-first=Jonathon |title=Hyena |series=Animal |year=2012 |pages=28–32 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9wfhR4fBEDYC |publisher=Reaktion Books |location=London |isbn=978-1-86189-9217}}
* {{cite encyclopedia |last1=Goodwin |first1=G. G. |editor-last=Johnston |editor-first=B. |encyclopedia=Collier's Encyclopedia | title = Aardwolf | edition = 1st | year = 1997 | publisher = P.F. Collier |volume=((I: A to Ameland)) |location=New York, NY}}
* {{cite encyclopedia |editor-last=Hoiberg | editor-first = Dale H. | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica | title = Aardwolf | edition=15th |year=2010 |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |volume=((I: A-Ak - Bayes)) |location=Chicago, IL |isbn =978-1-59339-837-8 | url=https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Koehler |first1=C. E. |last2=Richardson |first2=P. R. K. |year=1990 |title=''Proteles cristatus'' |journal=[[Mammalian Species]] | issue = 363| pages = 1–6 | jstor = 3504197 | doi = 10.2307/3504197 | doi-access = free}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Koepfli |first1=K.-P. |last2=Jenks |first2=S. M. |last3=Eizirik |first3 =E. |last4=Zahirpour |first4=T. |last5=Van Valkenburgh |first5=B. |last6=Wayne |first6=R. K. |title=Molecular systematics of the Hyaenidae: Relationships of a Relictual Lineage Resolved by a Molecular Supermatrix |year=2006 |volume=38 |issue=3 |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |pages=603–620 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2005.10.017 |pmid=16503281 |bibcode=2006MolPE..38..603K |citeseerx=10.1.1.529.1977}}
* {{cite book | last1 = Mills | first1 = G. | last2 = Harvey | first2 = M. | title = African Predators | publisher = Smithsonian Institution Press | location = Washington, DC | year = 2001 | isbn = 978-1-56098-096-4}}
* {{cite book | last = Nowak | first = R. M. | title = Walker's Carnivores of the World | year = 2005 | isbn = 978-0-8018-8032-2 | publisher = The Johns Hopkins University Press | location = Baltimore, MD |url=https://archive.org/details/walkerscarnivore0000nowa}}
* {{cite web | author = Oxford English Dictionary Online | url = http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/243856?redirectedFrom=maanhaar& | title = maanhaar | year = 2013 | access-date = 23 April 2014 | website = Oxford English Dictionary }}
* {{cite encyclopedia | last1 = Richardson | first1 = P. K. R. | last2 = Bearder | first2 = S. K. | editor1-last = MacDonald | editor1-first = D. | encyclopedia = The Encyclopedia of Mammals | title = The Hyena Family | isbn = 978-0-87196-871-5 | publisher = Facts on File Publication | location = New York, NY | year = 1984 | url = https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0}}
* {{cite encyclopedia | last = Rieger | first = Ingo | editor1-last = Parker | editor1-first = Sybil P. | title = Hyenas | encyclopedia = Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals | volume = 3 | publisher = McGraw-Hill Publishing Company | location = New York, NY | isbn = 978-0-07-909508-4 | year = 1990 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/grzimeksencyclop0005unse }}
* {{MSW3 Carnivora | id = 14000689 | page = 573}}<!-- This is harvnb|Wozencraft|2005 -->

==Further reading==
* {{cite encyclopedia | editor1-last = Simpson | editor1-first = J. A. | editor2-last = Weiner | editor2-first = E. S. C. | encyclopedia = The Oxford English Dictionary | title = aard-wolf | year = 1989 | publisher = Clarendon Press | location = Oxford, UK | isbn = 978-0-19-861213-1 | edition = 2nd | volume = I: A – Bazouki | url = https://archive.org/details/oxfordenglishdic01oxfo}}
* {{cite book |last1=Skinner |first1=J. D. |last2=Chimimba |first2=C. T. |title=The Mammals of the Southern African Sub-region |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iqwEYkTDZf4C |year=2006 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-84418-5 |edition=3rd}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikispecies|Proteles cristata}}
* [https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Proteles_cristata/ Animal Diversity Web]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100417192844/http://www.hyaenidae.org/the-hyaenidae/aardwolf-proteles-cristatus.html IUCN Hyaenidae Specialist Group Aardwolf pages on hyaenidae.org]
* Cam footage from the Namib desert https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lRevqS6Pxgg 
* {{Wikisource-inline|list=
** {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Aard-wolf |short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Aard-wolf |short=x |noicon=x}}
}}

{{Carnivora|F.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q185295}}

[[Category:Mammals described in 1783]]
[[Category:Carnivorans of Africa]]
[[Category:Hyenas]]
[[Category:Mammals of Southern Africa]]
[[Category:Fauna of East Africa]]
[[Category:Myrmecophagous mammals]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Anders Sparrman]]
[[Category:Nocturnal animals]]
[[Category:Mammals of Africa]]