Otocyon megalotis
Silhouette: Bernard Dupont (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis) is a species of fox found on the African savanna. It is the only extant species of the genus Otocyon, and is the sister species to all other members of the tribe Vulpini, not genetically being a true fox. Fossil records indicate this canid first appeared during the middle Pleistocene. There are two separate populations of the bat-eared fox, each of which makes up a subspecies. The bat referred to in its colloquial name is possibly the Egyptian slit-faced bat (Nycteris thebaica), which is abundant in the region and has very large ears. Other vernacular names include big-eared fox, black-eared fox, long-eared fox, Delalande's fox, cape fox, and motlosi.
It is named for its large ears, which have a role in thermoregulation. It is a small canid, being of comparable size to the closely related cape fox and common raccoon dog. Its fur varies in color depending on the subspecies, but is generally tan-colored and has guard hairs of a grey agouti color. The bat-eared fox is found in Southern and East Africa, though the two subspecies are separated by an unpopulated region spanning approximately 1,000 km (620 mi). In its range, the bat-eared fox digs dens for shelter and to raise its young, and lives in social groups or pairs that hunt and groom together.
The bat-eared fox eats mainly insects—a diet unique among canids. It forages in arid and semi-arid environments, preferring regions with bare ground and where ungulates keep grasses short, and locates prey by using its hearing, walking slowly with its nose to the ground and ears tilted forwards. Most of its diet is made up of harvester termites, which also hydrates the bat-eared fox, as it does not drink from free-standing water. By feeding on harvester termites, it acts as a means of population control for these insects, which are considered pests in regions populated by humans. In such regions, it has been hunted for its fur. No major threats to the bat-eared fox exist, and as such it is considered to be a least-concern species. Wikipedia →
Call1:17
Botswana · 2023
© Marc Anderson · XC959804 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 8 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 10 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bat-eared Fox sighting in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 24th most-seen of the 44 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and November–December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Bat-eared Fox in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February and August, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bat-eared Fox sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Bat-eared Fox sightings, Addo Elephant National Park ranks 10th at about 10%. The best odds are in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa, about 30%), Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania, about 20%) and Amboseli National Park (Kenya, about 20%).
Same order: Carnivora
The closest relatives of the Bat-eared Fox that you can see in Addo Elephant National Park (order Carnivora, Carnivorans) are Yellow Mongoose (about 40%), Lion (about 30%) and Slender-tailed Meerkat (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bat-eared Fox is recorded against all the mammals logged in Addo Elephant National Park (19 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
