I only manged one photo of this male aardwolf - of the southern subspecies Proteles cristatus cristatus -- although I was a bit luckier with his eastern cousins.
I only manged one photo of this male aardwolf - of the southern subspecies Proteles cristatus cristatus -- although I was a bit luckier with his eastern cousins.
This individual was photographed in the following enclosure; guarded, as you can see, by patrolling African spurred tortoises
Exhibit photo courtesy of Jordan-Jaguar97.
Link used with kind permission. Click on thumbnail for larger version.
Thanks At least Hamerton is small enough that you can swing by the same enclosure several times during a visit - which is how I ended up getting this shot. The previous times he was either asleep outside, or indoors.
I don't know enough about aardwolf evolutionary history, or the morphological differences between the populations, to be able to decide on that one! I know they're separated from the Easterns by 1000 miles of forest (I think), but when did that separation occur? One population now exists in a largely aseasonal climate, whilst the other is more subject to seasonal fluctuations, with cold nights resulting in some dietary differences and, presumably, the shaggier coat of the Southern. Seems to be a little-researched area.
Perhaps the molecular geneticists will sort that one out -- eventually?
