The bat-eared fox has very large distinctive ears relative to the size of its body which look just like bat ears, hence the name.
It is a small creature, weighing in at just 7 to 12lbs, and its body size is between 18 to 26 inches long. It has a yellow-brown body and a raccoon-like band around its face, while its legs and tail are black.
They prefer to live in short-grass plains, savannas, grasslands, and areas where termites, beetles, and other insects occur, generally in Eastern and Southern nations of Africa. This is because termites make up 80% of its diet, being an insectivorous mammal.
They are not water-dependent and get most of their water from the insects they feed on. They are nocturnal animals who arise at dusk to feed on insects during the night, and they only have humans as their predators, but occasionally will use their incredible agility to escape from opportunistic hunters.
They often live in groups of mating pairs and their litters, – which tend to number 3 to 6 pups – and they tend to be monogamous and breed annually with a gestation period of 60 to 70 days. The mother and father of these groups play, eat and sleep together, with the male assuming guard duty over these litters and playing with the pups just as much as the mother plays!
Courtesy of Mike Cilliers/Flickr