Artwork © Frontier Developments
Aardvark
Orycteropus afer · Africa
Requirements at a glance
- Scientific name
- Orycteropus afer
- Status
- Least Concern
- Biomes
- Grassland
- Temperature
- 14–36 °C
- Land area
- 160 m²
- Shelter
- 10 m²
- Barrier
- Grade 2 · 1 m
- Group size
- 1–2 (2♂ / 2♀)
- Temperament
- Neutral
- Food / period
- $450
Building the habitat
The land area is a hard floor: 160 m² for the enclosure itself, plus 10 m² of shelter on top. Barrier grade 2 at 1 m contains the animal without overspending on fencing you do not need.
Keep the habitat inside 14–36 °C. Temperature is one of the most common reasons a habitat quietly loses welfare, because it never triggers the alarm that hunger does.
Group limits matter more than most players expect: mixed groups run 1–2, capped at 2 male and 2 female. Exceeding the male cap is what causes fights — not total headcount.
Habitat temperature
Terrain mix
Land area vs. the roster
Species it can share a habitat with
The Zoopedia lists 2 neutral companions. Neutral means no welfare penalty, but no shared enrichment bonus either — build to the largest space requirement of the group.
Budgeting this habitat
Food runs about $450 per period. See how that compares across the roster in our food cost ranking, or start from the best starter animals if this is a first zoo.
Similar species
HabitatAfrican Penguin
HabitatMeerkat
HabitatSecretarybird
HabitatNile Monitor
Biome: Grassland
Figures from the official Planet Zoo 2 Zoopedia, checked 2026-10-21; patches can change them — trust your in-game build menu if they differ. Official entry. Artwork © Frontier Developments; used here for identification.