Aardwolves

"They're very shy, they come out only at night, and pretty much keep to themselves. But they love termites. Even more than you do."

- Simba, Too Many Termites

Aardwolves are creatures that appear in The Lion Guard universe. They live in the Pride Lands.

In the Real World
Aardwolves are small, hyena-like creatures. They have narrow muzzles and thin bodies. Their fur ranges in color, from light gray to brown, and is always marking by dark stripes. They have manes down their necks and backs, and their tails, which often bear black tips, are typically bushy. Their muzzles are black, and their eyes usually have a black pattern around them. The animals have erect, pointed ears and five toes on each of their forepaws.

In The Lion Guard
Aardwolves are small animals that greatly resemble hyenas. Their fur is typically even gray in color, though it can be cool blue-gray. They have dark stripes on their bodies that may be gray or black, and may have a V-shaped black stripe on their chests. Their paws are the same color as their stripes, and their underbellies are either a lighter shade than their primary fur color or they are dark taupe. They have pink inner ears and manes of varying length, some of which extend above the head and form tufts. Their faces are both wide and narrow, with the length of the fur on their cheeks varying. Their faces are darker than the rest of their body, and they have back noses with yellow sclerae. Aardwolves may have a few hairs sprouting from their ears.

In the Real World
Aardwolves are nocturnal animals who feed off of insects, primarily termites, which they capture with their sticky tongues. They live in packs that are made up of a monogamous pair and their young. By the time their cubs have grown up and gone off on their own, they will have another litter. An aardwolf may have numerous dens in their territory, which are usually dens that have been abandoned by their former occupant, such as an aardvark or porcupine, though they may dig their own. Their main predators are jackals, and though they are not particularly adept fighters, they will raise their manes to appear more threatening double back on their tracks.

In The Lion Guard
Aardwolves are noted to be very shy animals. They are nocturnal and have tendency to keep to themselves. They love to eat termites, and keep the Pride Lands' termite population in check. Without them, the Pride Lands become overrun with termites. They roam around often, and their favorite places to sleep are empty aardvark dens. Jackals consider them to be delicious.

Too Many Termites
After Kion accidentally drives aardwolves out of the Pride Lands with his Roar, believing them to be hyenas, the Pride Lands become overrun with termites. Simba explains the habits and characteristics of aardwolves to the Lion Guard, suggesting that they consult the aardwolves for help about the termites. Realizing his mistake, Kion leads the Guard into the Outlands, where the aardwolves are currently residing. The pack flees from them, frightened, and finds a den to hide in. Reirei and Goigoi enter and behave quite pleasantly towards them, gaining their trust, and proceed to try and eat them. The Guard arrives in time to save the aardwolves and return them to the Pride Lands, where there are more than enough termites for them to eat. The pack saves some for Bunga and sends them to him.

Notable Aardwolves in The Lion Guard

 * Haya
 * Mjomba
 * Ogopa