Happy #NationalAardvarkWeek. Fun fact: aardvarks are able to fully close their nostrils to keep out insects and dirt when they’re digging for food in ants nests or termite mounds. They also fold their ears against their bodies to protect them from the flying dirt. | Bronx Zoo

With its rabbit ears, pig-like snout and a tail like a kangaroo’s, the aardvark looks like an imaginary creature!🐰 🐽🦘 . . But in the wild, it faces unimaginable threats like human-wildlife conflicts and habitat loss. The use of pesticides in agriculture also affects its main food source of ants and termites. 🐜 To safeguard the aardvark’s future, we work together with other zoos as part of global programme that aims to preserve genetic diversity of the population under human care. . . #Nation