Mammals of Africa's Desert Areas - Bat Eared Fox
Description, Habitat, Behavior, Food, Reproduction and Enemies
Feb 9, 2009
The Bat Eared Fox is a member of the Carnivore order and should therefore be a meat eater. These foxes, however, are the exception to the rule.
What Does a Bat Eared Fox Look Like
The Bat-Eared Fox is small, reaching a maximum weight of 5.3kg. The average body length is 50 to 60 cm with tails of 30 to 35 cm long. These foxes stand approximately 40 cm tall. They have big roundish ears (up to 12 cm long) and are brown to grey in color with a lighter stomach section. Their throat and forehead are also lighter and the edges of the ears and the legs are black. They have a thick and woolly fur and the end of the tail is black. There is no difference in appearance between the male and female Bat Eared Foxes although the females are slightly larger than the males.
Habitat of the Bat Eared Fox
In the Southern part of Africa, Bat Eared Foxes inhabited the area ranging from the Northern and Western Cape Province in South Africa to Northern Namibia, Botswana and the Southern part of Zimbabwe. They prefer semi arid regions like the Kalahari and Namib regions in areas with short grass and low shrubs.
Bat Eared Foxes uses holes they dug themselves or abandoned aardvark holes. During the day, Bat Eared Foxes rests in these holes, which are cooler than the surface.
Behavior of the Bat Eared Fox
Bat Eared Foxes live in pairs or family groups of up to six members. They are approximately 85% nocturnal and travelers mostly see them at night. Bat Eared Foxes hunt insects drawn to the headlights of motor vehicles and are often run over by unwary drivers. In Southern Africa, another name for these foxes is "Draaijakkals", an Afrikaans word meaning 'turning jackal'. They earned this name because the foxes use quick and unexpected turns to shake their predators.
These foxes have a keen sense of smell and excellent hearing. They pinpoint the location of their prey by lowering their heads so the ears touch the ground. Bat Eared Foxes can hear beetle larvae up to 30 cm underground.
What Do Bat Eared Foxes Eat
Bat Eared Foxes are the only canidae preferring insects rather than mammals as prey. They eat mainly insects like termites, beetles and grasshoppers. Spiders, scorpions, rodents, lizards and fruit also form a small part of their diet. Contrary to common belief, these foxes do not hunt livestock and are not responsible for the killing of sheep or lambs.
How Do Bat Eared Foxes Reproduce
Females can start to reproduce at the age of about 18 months. Two to six pups are born after a gestation period of approximately two months (60-70 days). The foxes time the births to co-inside with the start of the rainy season in Southern Africa (between September and February).
The pups rely completely on their parents during the first few weeks and the female will increase her foraging to supply milk to the litter. She returns every 9 to 10 hours to the den to feed the pups. The pups stay in the den for three weeks before venturing out and exploring the area surrounding the den.
Enemies of the Bat Eared Fox
All large predators, including lion, hyena and leopard prey on the Bat Eared Fox according to Burger Cillie,The Mammal Guide of Southern Africa, 1997. Due to the small size of the fox larger eagles also pose a danger to the foxes and pups.
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