Otocyon megalotis
bat-eared fox

Two populations are known, one from Ethiopia and southern Sudan to Tanzania; the other from southern Angola and Rhodesia to South Africa.

Bat-eared foxes are found in arid grasslands and savannas, preferring areas where the grass is short. They are capable diggers and live in dens that are dug by the foxes themselves or those left by other animals such as aardvarks. Dens have multiple entrances and chambers and several meters of tunnels. A family may have several dens in its home range.

The bat-eared fox's name comes from its enormous ears, which are 114 to 135 mm long. The body is generally yellow-brown; the throat and underparts are pale; the outsides of the ears, raccoon-like "face-mask," lower legs, feet, and tail tip are black. Besides the large ears, the bat-eared fox is set apart from other foxes by its unique dentition. It has more teeth than any other heterodont placental mammal with a total between 46 and 50 (Nowak, 1983). Whereas in all other canids there are no more than two upper and three lower molars, the bat-eared fox has at least three upper and four lower molars. On the lower jaw, a large step-like protrusion anchors the large digastric muscle that is used for rapid chewing of insects. The legs are relatively short.

One captive individual lived for 13 years and 9 months.

85 percent of activity occurs at night in the Serengeti, while in South Africa bat-eared foxes are mainly diurnal in winter and nocturnal in summer. In the Serengeti, one study showed that families occupied exclusive home ranges of 0.25 to 1.5 km^(2). The marked the home range boundaries with urine. These groups consisted of an adult mated pair and their young. Pairs sleep in the same burrow, forage and rest together, often lying in contact, social-groom and play with one another, and protect and assist each other (Estes, 1991). In South Africa, homeranges overlap extensively, with little or no territorial marking (Nowak, 1983). In these areas two or three breeding dens are sometimes clustered within a few hundred meters, probably due to locally suitable soil or vegetation. Population density may reach 10 individuals per km^(2). Benefits of group living for bat-eared foxes include increased termite harvesting, enhanced predator-detection, and the opportunity for offspring to learn by imitation what to eat and how to get it (Estes, 1991).

Play behavior among young pups shows similarities to escape behavior because, as adults, bat-eared foxes tend to show escape behavior rather than fighting behavior (Delany and Happold, 1979).

Their diet primarily consists of insects and other arthropods, and occasionally small rodents, lizards, the eggs and chicks of birds, and plant matter. The Harvester termite (Hodotermes) and dung beetles (Scarabidae) can make up 80 percent of the fox's diet (Macdonald, 1984). According to Delany and Happold (1979), bat-eared foxes obtain much of their water from the body fluids of these insects. The termites often feed on grass above ground, where they are then eaten by the foxes. Because large herbivores such as wildebeest, zebra and buffalo also feed on this grass, bat-eared foxes are usually found near large herds of these hoofed animals. Furthermore, bat-eared foxes are also associated with these mammals since they eat the dung beetles that feed on and lay eggs in the ungulate's feces. The foxes use their large ears to listen for beetle larvae gnawing their way out of the dung balls (Macdonald, 1984). Bat-eared foxes usually forage alone. However, where insect prey is abundant, bat-eared foxes may occur in very high densities. They can actually harvest more termites by foraging in a group than if they hunted separately over the same ground at the same time (Estes, 1991).

To escape from predators, the bat-eared fox relies on speed and its incredible dodging ability. It can effectively reverse direction at a flat run without losing speed (Estes, 1991).

Bat-eared foxes are susceptible to predators down to the size of jackals and eagles. Diurnal birds of prey generally represent the greatest threat for young bat-eared foxes (Estes, 1991).

There is no apparent commercial use of bat-eared foxes, but they are hunted in Botswana for their pelts by indigenous people.

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Otocyon megalotis is the only species in the genus Otocyon.