P. cristatus Skull Replica measures 5.4 inches. P. cristatus Skull is museum quality polyurethane resins. Made in USA. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Known as Aardwolf.
P. cristatus is a small, insectivorous mammal, native to East Africa and Southern Africa. Its name means earth wolf in the Afrikaans Dutch language.
It is also called Maanhaar jackal. The Aardwolf or P. cristatus is in the same family as the hyenas. Their diet consists of termites and birds.
The Aardwolf or P. cristatus resembles a very thin striped hyena, but with a more slender muzzle, black vertical stripes on a coat of yellowish fur, and a long, distinct mane down the mid-line of the neck and back.
Aardwolf or P. cristatus also has one or two diagonal stripes down the fore and hind-quarters, along with several stripes on its legs. The mane is raised during confrontations to make the Aardwolf or Proteles cristata appear larger. Its lower leg is all black, and its tail is bushy with a black tip.
The Aardwolf or P. cristatus is about 22 to 31 in. long, excluding its bushy tail, which is about 7.9 to 11.8 in. long, and stands about 16 to 20 in. tall at the shoulders. An adult Aardwolf or Proteles cristata weighs approximately 15 to 22 lb., sometimes reaching 33 lb.
The Aardwolf or P. cristatus in the south of the continent tend to be smaller about 10 to 22 lb. than the eastern version around 31 lb.
The front feet have five toes each. Aardwolf or Proteles cristata teeth and skull are similar to those of other hyenas, though smaller, and its cheek teeth are specialized for eating insects.
It does have canines and these teeth are used primarily for fighting and defense. Its ears are large.
The Aardwolf or P. cristata feeds primarily on Trinervitermes. Their technique consists of licking them off the ground as opposed to the Aardvark, which digs into the mound.
P. cristata locate their food by sound and also from the scent secreted by the soldier termites. An Aardwolf or Proteles cristata may consume up to 250,000 termites per night using its long, sticky tongue.
The breeding season varies depending on location, but normally takes place during autumn or spring. In South Africa, breeding occurs in early July.
During the breeding season, unpaired male Aardwolves or P. cristata search their own territory, as well as others, for a female to mate with. Dominant males also mate opportunistically with the females of less dominant neighboring aardwolves, which can result in conflict between rival males.
Dominant P. cristatus males even go a step further and as the breeding season approaches, they make increasingly greater and greater incursions onto weaker males’ territories. As the female comes into oestrus, they add pasting to their tricks inside of the other territories, sometimes doing so more in rivals’ territories than their own.
P. cristatus females will also, when given the opportunity, mate with the dominant male, which increases the chances of the dominant male guarding “his” cubs with her.
