Not being a native English speaker, I recently heard that somebody called my female colleague an "aardvark". Googling this term was not very helpful since this term was mostly referred to in the context of the south-african animal but not a human being.

So, could somebody please explain how / why this term was used upon referring to my colleague? Frankly, it is just unclear whether to laugh it off or consider this as an offence / insult.

Thank you.