Editing Aardwolf (section)

==Description==
{{multiple image |align=left |direction=vertical  |image1=Description iconographique comparée du squelette et du système dentaire des mammifères récents et fossiles (Proteles cristata skull).jpg |caption1=Dorsal and ventral aspect of skull |image2=Description iconographique comparée du squelette et du système dentaire des mammifères récents et fossiles (Proteles cristata).jpg |caption2=Skeleton}}
[[File:Aardwolf, Proteles cristata, at Lion and Rhino Reserve, Gauteng, South Africa (47987248651).jpg|thumb|Aardwolf with tongue exposed. Note the prominent [[Lingual papillae|papillae]]]]
The aardwolf resembles a much smaller and thinner [[striped hyena]], with a more slender [[snout|muzzle]], black vertical stripes on a coat of yellowish fur, and a long, distinct [[wikt:mane|mane]] down the midline of the neck and back. It also has one or two diagonal stripes down the fore and hindquarters and several stripes on its legs.<ref name=mh33>{{harvnb|Mills|Harvey|2001|p=33}}</ref> The mane is raised during confrontations to make the aardwolf appear larger. It is missing the throat spot that others in the family have.<ref name=ingo/> Its lower leg (from the knee down) is all black, and its tail is bushy with a black tip.<ref name=w1/>

The aardwolf is about {{cvt|55|to|80|cm}} long, excluding its bushy tail, which is about {{cvt|20|-|30|cm}} long,<ref name=EB>{{harvnb|Hoiberg|2010|p=4}}</ref><ref name=w1/> and stands about {{cvt|40|to|50|cm}} tall at the shoulders.<ref name="Colliers">{{harvnb|Goodwin|1997|p=3}}</ref> An adult aardwolf weighs approximately {{cvt|7|–|10|kg}}, sometimes reaching {{convert|15|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name=ingo>{{harvnb|Rieger|1990|pp=570–571}}</ref> The aardwolves in the south of the continent tend to be slightly smaller (about {{cvt|10|kg}}) than the eastern version (around {{cvt|14|kg}}). This makes the aardwolf the smallest extant member of the Hyaenidae family.<ref name=mh33/> The front feet have five toes each, unlike the four-toed hyena.<ref name=EB/><ref>{{harvnb|Brottman|2012|p=29}}</ref> The skull is similar in shape to those of other hyenas, though much smaller,<ref name=Colliers/> and its cheek teeth are specialised for eating insects.<ref name=EB/> It still has canines, but unlike other hyenas, these teeth are used primarily for fighting and defense.<ref name=w1/> Its ears, which are large,<ref name=w1/> are very similar to those of the striped hyena.<ref name=ingo/>

As an aardwolf ages, it will typically lose some of its teeth, though this has little impact on its feeding habits due to the softness of the insects that it eats.<ref name="wff" />