Otocyon megalotis

Order: Carnivora > Family: Canidae > Genus: Otocyon > Species: Otocyon megalotis

Common Name: Bat-eared Fox [English]

Type Description

Mammalogie, In Encyclop. Meth., 2(Suppl.):538.

Type Locality

'le Cap de Bonne-Esperance' [South Africa, Western Cape Prov., Cape of Good Hope].

Measurements

Head and body: 470-660 mm
Tail length: 230-340 mm
Weight: 3-5.3 kg

Description

The long ears and bushy black-tipped tail help to distinguish this canid.

Distribution

Distributed in the semi-arid zones of the Kalahari region in the south and northeast Africa including from southern Sudan to Somalia down into Tanzania, Otocyon megalotis can be found in the dry, open acacia woodlands, savannas, steppes and grassy plains from sea-level to the dry plateaus and uplands inland. (Kingdon, 1989, 1997)

Key References

1. Kingdon, J. 1989. East African mammals: An atlas of evolution in Africa. (Carnivores). University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 3A:54-63. 2. Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, AP Natural World Academic Press, Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, p. 224-225.
3. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1:634-636, 673-674.