Bat-eared fox: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the bat-eared fox lives – recorded in 5 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Otocyon megalotis
Group	Foxes, jackals & wild dogs
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	5 countries
Continents	Africa
Mass	120 g (birth weight); 4.15 kg (adult weight)
Class	Mammal
Order	Carnivora
Family	Canidae

Where does the bat-eared fox live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the bat-eared fox in 5 countries and territories across Africa. Wikidata gives its range as: Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Uganda, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Angola, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

How big is a bat-eared fox?

Wikidata records the following for the bat-eared fox: mass 120 g (birth weight); 4.15 kg (adult weight).

Is the bat-eared fox endangered?

The bat-eared fox’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the bat-eared fox?

The bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis) is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Canidae, genus Otocyon. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About 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.

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Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Bat-eared fox (revision 1340419971), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q200400 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).