The generic name proteles comes from two words both of Greek origin, protos and teleos which combined means "complete in front" based on the fact that they have five toes on their front feet and four on the rear. There is disagreement as to whether the species is monotypic, or can be divided into subspecies P. The aardwolf is the only surviving species in the subfamily Protelinae. Recent studies have suggested that the aardwolf probably diverged from other hyaenids early on how early is still unclear, as the fossil record and genetic studies disagree by 10 million years. Early on, scientists felt that it was merely mimicking the striped hyena, which subsequently led to the creation of Protelidae. The aardwolf is generally classified with the hyena family Hyaenidae, though it was formerly placed in its own family Protelidae. It is nocturnal, resting in burrows during the day and emerging at night to seek food.
The aardwolf lives in the shrublands of eastern and southern Africa – open lands covered with stunted trees and shrubs.
The aardwolf's tongue has adapted to be tough enough to withstand the strong bite of termites. It eats insects and their larvae, mainly termites one aardwolf can lap up as many as 250,000 termites during a single night using its long, sticky tongue. Unlike many of its relatives in the order Carnivora, the aardwolf does not hunt large animals. The aardwolf is in the same family as the hyena. It is also called "maanhaar-jackal" (Afrikaans for " mane-jackal"), "termite-eating hyena" and "civet hyena", based on its habit of secreting substances from its anal gland, a characteristic shared with the African civet. Its name means "earth-wolf" in Afrikaans and Dutch.
The aardwolf ( Proteles cristata) is an insectivorous mammal, native to East and Southern Africa.