republic - a form of government whose head of state is not a monarch; the head of state in a republic is usually a president. form of government, political system - the members of a social organization who are in power.
Aardvarks are found in sub-Saharan Africa, where suitable habitat (savannas, grasslands, woodlands and bushland) and food (i.e., ants and termites) is available. They spend the daylight hours in dark underground burrows to avoid the heat of the day.
The name aardvark (Afrikaans pronunciation: [ËÉËrtfÉrk]) comes from earlier Afrikaans (erdvark) and means earth pig or ground pig (aarde: earth/ground, vark: pig), because of its burrowing habits (similar origin to the name groundhog). The name Orycteropus means burrowing foot, and the name afer refers to Africa.