The Bat-Eared Fox

Did You Ever See A Fox Fly?

Around 800,000 years ago a species developed on the African Savannah, a canid but quite unlike any other. It was small, tawny furred and with black ears. It is the ears which really make this mostly nocturnal animal stand out.
The ears are a special adaptation. Although the Bat-Eared Fox (Otocyon megalotis) will eat rodents, birds and eggs with the occasional fruit, it eats something quite unexpected. Over eighty percent of its diet is made up of insects, especially termites. The powerful ears are able to pick up the sound of termites within their nests.