Alien or Aardvark?
July 31, 2009
This newborn aardvark at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo most certainly wins the award for wrinkliest baby ever featured on ZooBorns. Weighing just 5 lbs, this little calf might eventually reach as much as 125 lbs. We hope by then he has grown into his skin.
A scampering baby aardvark
Before signing on Brad Pitt, this baby aardvark was slated to play Benjamin Button
Watch him wiggle his snout and scamper
Aardvark Calf Born on July 12, 2009 on Display at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo
Omaha, NE (July 16, 2009) – Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo welcomes an aardvark calf. The calf weighs a little over five pounds. Doug Armstrong, Director of Animal Health, will be available for interviews at 10 a.m. today. Please enter through Guest Services.
Aardvarks are rarely found in captivity. The aardvark calf birth is part of a recommended breeding program by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Aardvark Population Management Plan.
It is not uncommon for female aardvarks to have a difficult time rearing their young. Because of this, Zoo management has decided to hand rear the calf. The calf will eventually be in contact with the mother to minimize imprinting, a term that describes when animals are raised by humans with little or no contact with their own species.
Omaha’s Zoo has two adults, Annie and Alvin, on display in Kingdoms of the Night. The adult aardvarks are taken on walks by keepers to get their daily exercise.
Aardvarks originate from Africa, anywhere south of the Sahara Desert. The color of their skin can vary from shades of gray, pink and brown. They have thick skin and weigh between 100-125 pounds as adults. They are nocturnal and sleep in burrows. Aardvark diet at Omaha’s Zoo consists of a commercially prepared insectivore diet.