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Colchester Zoo in Essex had an adorable pre-christmas arrival - a tiny aardvark.
On 23 November, its aardvarks OQ and Koos, welcomed their new bundle of joy.
Although this is OQ and Koos’ first young together, OQ is an experienced mum, with this new arrival being her 12th offspring!
To ensure the pair’s welfare, The Animal Care Team have kept a close eye on mum and her new arrival over the last month, and OQ has proven to be an excellent and caring parent.
Koos arrived back in October 2023 from Chester Zoo as part of a breeding recommendation, in the hope that he would successfully raise young with OQ.
Aardvarks are currently listed as ‘Least Concern’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. These animals are easily recognisable by their long snout and pointy ears with their name meaning ‘Earth Pig’ in Afrikaans. Their short, powerful limbs with shovel-shaped claws, make them excellent diggers and in the wild their burrows can be up to 13 metres long!
An aardvark’s tongue is around 30cm long and is used to catch termites and ants. They can eat up to 50,000 insects each night! They are nocturnal but if you are lucky, you may be able to spot them out and about during a visit to the Essex attraction.
Where: Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom
When: 24 Dec 2024
Credit: Colchester Zoo/Cover Images
**EDITORIAL USE ONLY. MATERIALS ONLY TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH EDITORIAL STORY. THE USE OF THESE MATERIALS FOR ADVERTISING, MARKETING OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL PURPOSE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. MATERIAL COPYRIGHT REMAINS WITH STATED SUPPLIER.**
