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Protelidae:
The Aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) is a small hyena, native to Eastern and Southern Africa. The name means "Earth Wolf" in Afrikaans. Unlike other hyenas, the aardwolf is a defenseless animal whose diet almost completely consists of termites. The natural enemies are detered by the superficial resemblance to the more aggressive hyena species. The aardwolf is the only surviving species of the subfamily Protelinae. Two subspecies are recognized: Proteles cristatus cristatus of Southern Africa and Proteles cristatus septentrionalis of Eastern and Northeastern Africa. |
