VIII AARD VARK 187 
This group contains but one family, the Orycteropodidae, of 
which there is but a single genus. 
The Aard Vark (earth-pig), genus Orycteropus, is characterised 
by its heavy build, the body being covered by rather coarse and 
not very abundant hair; the snout is long and pig-like, with round 
nostrils at its end; the ears are long, erect, and pointed; the 
tail is very thick at first, so that it has been aptly described as 
“a tapering of the body to a point.” The fore-limbs are four-toed, 
the hind five-toed. 
ANG 
Fic. 107. —Aard Vark, or Cape Anteater. Orycteropus capensis. x 3} 
In the skull there is a complete though slender zygoma ; the 
premaxillaries, though small, are not so rudimentary as in the 
American Edentates. The annular tympanic is not ankylosed to 
the surrounding bones, a character found in other low mammals. 
Contrary to what is found in Manis, Orycteropus has a huge 
lachrymal. There are thirteen dorsal and seven lumbar vertebrae. 
The clavicle is well developed. Orycteropus is peculiar among 
Edentates in that the ischia do not unite with the vertebral 
column. The femur has a third trochanter. 
As mentioned on p. 162, the Aard Vark is diphyodont like normal 
mammals. The permanent teeth consist of five molars and pre- 
molars on each side of each jaw; the first two of these are pre- 
molars, and are simpler in their form than the succeeding twe 
teeth, which are partly divided by a median furrow into two 
halves. These teeth are also peculiar in that they consist entirely 
of vaso-dentine. They have been compared in minute structure 
to those of the Ray Myliobates. According to Mr. Oldfield 
