Cape Town Photographers Alex and Juanita Aitkenhead captured a female African anteater (Aardvark) stranded on Sunset Beach, Milnerton, on Friday around 6 p.m.
The Southern African Shorebird Conservation Foundation removed the animal and turned it over to wildlife services for assessment.
The anteater is a nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is the only living species of the order Tubulidentata. A small population is found in the Western Cape Peninsula and along the Garden Route.
Sometimes known as the “Cape anteater,” these mammals have a long snout for sniffing out food. They can weigh up to 80 kg and mate only during the breeding season, after a gestation period of seven months.
The anteater is born with conventional incisors and canines in the front of the jaw, which fall out and are not replaced. Adult aardvarks only have molars at the back of their jaws. They have large toes, each with a stout spade-shaped nail for digging and digging.
As for the population, there are no definitive counts due to their nocturnal and stealthy habits. However, due to their large range, they keep a sufficient number.
Still, it’s rare to see one stranded on the beach.
Alex commented: “We are convinced that it was a trafficked animal that died and was thrown overboard, perhaps an hour or two before we found her, as she was in perfect condition when we discovered her in the waves.” This is yet to be confirmed.
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Photography: Alex and Juanita Aitkenhead
