The animals that we know have certain distinct features that help us identify them. The erect ears of a rabbit, the trunk of an elephant, the tail of a monkey or the shining eyes of a cat are such features that separate them from other animals. What would we call it if an odd animal gets some of the distinctive features of other animals?
The aardvark is a mammal found on the African continent. The name ‘aardvark’ means “earth pig” in Afrikaans as it refers to its resemblance to a pig and to its habit of digging the earth. The aardvark is very strange looking animal indeed. Though it has the body of a pig, it has the ears of a rabbit and a tail of a kangaroo! The animal hunts at night for termites and ants. It uses its long, sticky tongue to gather the insects from their nests, as anteaters do. Therefore, the mammal is really like a jigsaw of different animal parts put together!
Picture credit: google