Anteaters and aardvarks share many remarkable similarities. For this reason, you may be wondering: are they related to each other? What are some of their most common similarities and differences? Keep reading. In this article, we’ll answer these questions in more detail as we compare the anteater vs. the aardvark.
What You'll Learn Today
What Is an Anteater?

Anteaters are mammals native to Central and South America. They typically live alone or in pairs consisting of mother and young.
There are currently thought to be 10 species of anteater. One of these is the giant anteater, two are referred to as tamanduas, and the other seven are classified as silky anteaters.
Depending on their species, anteaters may spend most of their time on the ground, in trees, or in both environments. They spend much of their time searching for food, and their diet primarily consists of termites and ants.
These creatures vary in appearance depending on their species. Giant anteaters are large and dark in color; tamanduas have shorter, lighter fur with distinctive vest-like markings; and silky anteaters are small but often look quite different from each other.
All anteaters have elongated snouts housing long, sticky tongues and large salivary glands, which they use to hunt for food. They also have sharp claws they use to rip apart insect nests, climb trees, and defend themselves.
What Is an Aardvark?

Aardvarks are mammals found throughout the savannas and semiarid regions of Africa. They spend most of their time alone, with the exception of young aardvarks and their mothers.
There is just one species of aardvark, and it belongs to the Orycteropodidae family. The name “aardvark” means “earth pig” in Afrikaans.
Aardvarks live on the ground, frequently creating large, branching burrows with sleeping chambers. Their diet consists almost entirely of ants and termites.
Aardvarks are vaguely pig-like in appearance with long, flat snouts and large ears; they have four toes on each front foot and five on each back foot, with each toe coming equipped with spade-like nails. They can grow more than seven feet long and may weigh up to 145 pounds
Aardvarks are covered in short gray fur and have long tails and small eyes. They move around by crawling on all fours, using their excellent senses of smell and hearing to locate food before snatching it up with their long, sticky tongues.
What Are the Differences Between Anteaters and Aardvarks?
Though aardvarks and anteaters have some similarities, they are not related to each other. They are different mammal species belonging to different scientific families and living in different regions of the world.
Anteaters and aardvarks share a few physical characteristics, but they look quite different from each other. Their snouts are shaped differently, and aardvarks have large ears whereas anteaters have small ears.
Anteaters also come in different colors and have different fur markings than aardvarks, and most species have longer fur. Anteaters’ claws are long and sharp, similar to a sloth’s; meanwhile, aardvarks’ claws are shorter and more hooflike.
Aardvarks are nocturnal, sleeping during the day and hunting for food at night. On the other hand, anteaters are diurnal, meaning they are most active during the day.
Finally, aardvarks grow larger than most anteater species. The giant anteater is the only species that comes close in size, as it can grow up to six feet long and weigh up to 88 pounds.
Are There Any Similarities Between Anteaters and Aardvarks?
Despite having many differences, aardvarks and anteaters also have a variety of similarities, as noted in the introduction. They are both mammals that live alone except for mothers with young, and each type of animal gives birth to one baby during each breeding season.
Both aardvarks and anteaters have remarkably similar diets, as they both consume large amounts of termites and ants. They both hunt for food by invading termite mounds and other insect nests, tearing into them with their sharp claws.
Though aardvarks and anteaters live on different continents, they show a preference for similar climates and habitats. Both types of animals live in grasslands and wooded areas; aardvarks live in savannas and woodlands, while anteaters are commonly found in South American grasslands and rainforests.
Both aardvarks and anteaters have long, sticky tongues that help them grab large mouthfuls of ants and termites at a time. Both creatures can consume thousands of ants and termites every day.
Finally, both aardvarks and anteaters face environmental threats that could pose problems for their long-term survival. Though only giant anteaters are currently classified as endangered, aardvarks and the other anteater species are both declining in some areas due to illegal hunting and habitat loss.
To learn more about aardvarks and anteaters, check out the video below:
Conclusion
Anteaters and aardvarks both share a love for ants and termites, and both have some similar physical characteristics, such as their long tongues, but they are not related to each other. They live in different parts of the world and are classified under different families of mammals.