Aardvark
(Orycteropus afer)

Found across sub-Saharan Africa, the Aardvark is one of Africa's most secretive and ancient mammals — a nocturnal burrower with a pig-like snout, rabbit-like ears, and no close living relatives whatsoever.

 

It uses its powerful claws to tear open termite mounds and its long, sticky tongue to hoover up thousands of insects a night. Its abandoned burrows are so well constructed that they are adopted and reused by dozens of other species, making the Aardvark one of Africa's most important unintentional architects!