Bat-eared fox
Otocyon megalotis (Desmarest, 1822)
The bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis) is a mammal in the family Canidae, order Carnivora, and the genus Otocyon. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial carnivore with a cathemeral activity pattern, and adults weigh from 3 to 5.3 kg, with a representative value of 4.15 kg.
Quick facts about the bat-eared fox
Gestation lasts 68 days, litters have from 1 to 6 young with a representative value of 4, and there are 2 litters per year. The bat-eared fox is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category, and its lifespan is 13.8 years, with values up to 17.9 years.
- Weight
- 3 kg – 5.3 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 13.8 years – 17.9 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- arthropodssrc for Main food
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 60.9 days – 68 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1 – 6src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 8.5 months – 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 2src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the bat-eared fox
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the bat-eared fox live?
Not recorded
What is the bat-eared fox?
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.
From the Wikipedia article “Bat-eared fox” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bat-eared_fox&oldid=1384670284), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the bat-eared fox endangered?
The bat-eared fox is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the bat-eared fox classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderCarnivora
- familyCanidae
- genusOtocyon
- SpeciesOtocyon megalotis (Desmarest, 1822)
Synonyms Canis megalotis, Otocyon megalotis canescens
Other names and names in other languages (51)
- Bat-ear foxEnglish
- Batear foxEnglish
- Big-eared foxEnglish
- Black-eared foxEnglish
- Delalande's foxEnglish
- Long-eared foxEnglish
- BakoorvosAfrikaans
- BakoorjakkalsAfrikaans
- DraaijakkalsAfrikaans
- ثعلب ديلاندArabic
- ثعلب أسود الأذنينArabic
- ثعلب خفاشي الأذنينArabic
- ثعلب طويل الأذنينArabic
- Rabosa orelludaAragonese
- Вялікавухая лісіцаBelarusian
- pes ušatýCzech
- ØrerævDanish
- LöffelhundGerman
- GroßohrfuchsGerman
- LöffelfuchsGerman
- Αλεπού με αυτιά νυχτερίδαςGreek
- Zorro orejudoSpanish
- Zorro Con Orejas de MurcielagoSpanish
- korvakoiraFinnish
- OtocyonFrench
- l 'OtocyonFrench
- Renard à oreilles de chauve-sourisFrench
- Raposo orelludoGalician
- lapátfülű rókaHungarian
- OtocioneItalian
- MegalotideItalian
- Volpe Con Orecchie Da PippistrelloItalian
- オオミミギツネJapanese
- 큰귀여우Korean
- 박쥐귀여우Korean
- ØrehundNorwegian Bokmål
- FlaggermusrevNorwegian Bokmål
- LepelhondDutch
- GrootoorvosDutch
- MotlhoseNorthern Sotho
- OtocjonPolish
- Otocjon wielkouchyPolish
- OtócionPortuguese
- Raposa-orelhas-de-morcegoPortuguese
- Vulpe cu urechi mariRomanian
- Большеухая лисицаRussian
- mutosesbs
- Bweha masigioSwahili
- iri kulaklı kurtTurkish
- TlhoseTswana
- Лисиця вухатаUkrainian
Relatives of the bat-eared fox
Other species in the same family Canidae.
Wolf
Canis lupus
Red fox
Vulpes vulpes
Coyote
Canis latrans
Golden jackal
Canis aureus
African wild dog
Lycaon pictus
Dhole
Cuon alpinus
CompareBat-eared fox vs WolfBat-eared fox vs Red foxBat-eared fox vs CoyoteBat-eared fox vs Golden jackal
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the bat-eared fox?
The bat-eared fox is a mammal in the family Canidae, part of the order Carnivora and suborder Caniformia.
How heavy is a bat-eared fox?
Adult Bat-eared foxes weigh from 3 to 5.3 kg, with a representative value of 4.15 kg, placing them in the medium size class.
What does the bat-eared fox eat?
The bat-eared fox is a carnivore.
Is the bat-eared fox endangered?
No. The bat-eared fox is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a bat-eared fox live?
The bat-eared fox has a lifespan of 13.8 years, with values up to 17.9 years reported.
How many young does a bat-eared fox have?
A bat-eared fox litter has from 1 to 6 young, with a representative value of 4, and there are 2 litters per year after a gestation of 68 days.
When does a bat-eared fox reach sexual maturity?
The bat-eared fox reaches sexual maturity at 312 days, with values from 258.7 to 365.2 days (1 year) reported.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/bat-eared-fox
“Bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/bat-eared-fox.
@misc{bat_eared_fox_2026,
title = {Bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/bat-eared-fox},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}