Tubulidentata

Question 1

Describe the unique biology and anatomy of the aardvark.

What order do they belong to?

What are their teeth like?

What is their diet in the wild?

What is their adipose deposition like?

What are their stomach and intestines like?

Where are their testes located?

What is their normal body temperature?

Answer 1

Fowler 8 Ch 52 Tubulidentata

General Biology

• The aardvark is nocturnal, fossorial, and the only living representative of the order Tubulidentata
• The aardvark’s tooth is unique in that each molar consists of fused, elongated, hexagonal, perpendicular, dentine columns surrounded by a layer of cementum–name of order means tube teeth
• Found in sub saharan Africa
• Solitary animals, live in burrows

Unique anatomy

• Long sharp claws for digging
• Long and narrow head with sticky vermiform tongue for eating ants and termites
• Poor eyesight
• No SQ fat layer–susceptible to temperature fluctuations
• Stomach is muscular and gizzard-like for grinding up food ingested with sand and soil
• Large cecum, which is unusual for an insectivore
• Both males and females have a distinct genital eminence that may be confused with a scrotum
• Testes are descended but ascrotal

Physiology

• Body temp is 34-37C (93-98F) and is partially regulated by the use of burrows
• susceptible to hypothermia

Question 2

Describe the husbandry of aardvarks.

What is their wild diet?

What are they fed in managed care?

How are they restrained?

How are they intubated?

What are typical venipuncture sites?

Answer 2

Feeding

• Natural diet consists of ants and termites primarily
• A substitute high protein, low carb diet with added vitamins can be used (ie mazuri insectivore)

Restraint and handling

• Manual restraint not recommended unless very young
• Can be darted (ketamine/medetomidine, telazol, ketamine/midaz have all been used)
• Intubation is challenging but can be done blindly or by using a long bladed laryngoscope

PE and diagnostics

• Blood can be collected from cephalic, femoral, medial saphenous, ventral tail or facial vein
• Normal values have been reported

Question 3

What is the most common disease of aardvarks?

Tooth root absceses most commonly occur where?

When do these animals reach sexual maturity?

How long is gestation?

How are aardvark babies raised?

Answer 3

Diseases

• No infectious diseases are unique to aardvarks
• Most captive individuals die from degenerative illnesses associated with old age
• Dental disease is the most common condition
• Tooth root abscesses occur predominantly in the mandible
• Treatment can be challenging because of small mouth and elongated oral cavity

Reproduction

• Generally solitary except when breeding
• Gestation is about 8 months
• Sexual maturity at 2 years
• Many young are hand raised in captivity
• Multiple commercially available milk formulas have been used successfully
• Lactobacillus acidophilus and L. bulgaricus added to the formula will assist in establishing normal gut flora.
• Hand-raised aardvarks are fed four to six times a day and 12% to 14% of their body weight in a 24-hour period