The Order Tubulidentata consists of a single living species, the aardvark (Orycteropus afer), native to sub-Saharan Africa. Aardvarks are medium-sized, nocturnal mammals adapted for digging, with strong limbs and claws used to excavate termite mounds and ant nests. Their most distinctive feature is their tubular, continuously growing teeth, which lack enamel and are made of thin tubes of dentine, giving the order its name. They have a long snout and sticky tongue for feeding on ants and termites, and a keen sense of smell to locate prey. Aardvarks are solitary, primarily terrestrial, and play an important ecological role by controlling insect populations and creating burrows that provide shelter for other animals.