First baby aardvark born at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Zoom in: Aardvarks are native to sub-Saharan Africa, and their name is derived from Afrikaans and translates to "earth pig."

• The mammals are nocturnal so they spend daylight hours in the burrows they dig with their sharp claws, and come out to eat ants and termites in the evening.

Fun fact: An adult aardvark may eat up to 50,000 insects in a single evening, according to the zoo.

Flashback: A baby aardvark was born at the San Diego Zoo in 2022, the first in more than 35 years.

• Zoo visitors can see that aardvark and its mom during wildlife presentations at the Africa Rocks stage.

Threat level: Aardvarks are classified as a species of Least Concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

• Yes, but: Because the animals are nocturnal and have secretive habits they're rarely seen in the wild, which makes it hard to quantify the population. They are at risk from hunting and losing their habitat.

What's next: Safari Park visitors can't see this calf and its mom yet because they are privately bonding in their burrow.

• But, as ambassadors of their species, the aardvarks could make appearances on behind-the-scenes tours.