nocturnal burrowing mammal of the grasslands of Africa that feeds on termites; sole extant representative of the order Tubulidentata
The nocturnal, insectivorous, burrowing, mammal Orycteropus afer, of the order Tubulidentata, somewhat resembling a pig, common in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
The name comes from Afrikaans, combining words for "earth" and "pig." It reflects how early settlers saw the animal as an earth-dwelling creature resembling a pig.