4 bat-eared fox

Our guide at Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, had only seen this reclusive animal once before over the past 7 years.

It’s not typical behaviour for them to appear so brashly at at water hole middle of the day.

Click PLAY or watch my video on YouTube.

The bat-eared fox is a canid of the African savanna, named for its large ears. …

… also referred to as big-eared fox, black-eared fox, cape fox, and Delalande’s fox …

… an insectivore that uses its large ears to locate its prey. 80–90% of their diet is harvester termites. When this particular species of termite is not available bat-eared foxes feed on other species of termites and have also been observed consuming ants, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, millipedes, moths, scorpions, spiders, and rarely birds, small mammals, and reptiles. The insects they eat fulfill the majority of their water intake needs. …

… the bat-eared fox has a reversal in parental roles with the male taking on the majority of the parental care behavior. Females gestate for 60–70 days and give birth to litters consisting of 1 to 6 pups. Beyond lactation, which lasts 14 to 15 weeks, males take over grooming, defending, huddling, chaperoning, and carrying the young between den sites. …