It is also called maanhaar-jackal, and civet hyena, based on its habit of secreting substances from its anal gland, a characteristic shared with the African civet.
It emerges at night to seek food and rests in burrows during the day.
Though it was formerly placed in its own family Protelidae, the aardwolf is generally classified with the hyena family Hyaenidae.
Protelinae is the only surviving subfamily in the aardwolf.
They are only found in regions where termites of the family Hodotermitidae occur because of their specific food requirements.
These species do not occur in intermediate miombo forests.
Nocturnal aardwolves are shy, sleeping in burrows by day.
Occasionally during the winter, they will become diurnal feeders. As they then stay in at night to conserve heat, this happens during the coldest periods.
A pair of aardwolves may have up to 10 dens and numerous feces middens within their territory.
At one and a half to two years of age, aardwolves generally achieve sexual maturity.