Bat-eared Fox is a fairly widespread and locally common jackal-like canine in east and south Africa. Pairs and small groups (i.e., a pair and offspring) live near burrows, some of which they dig themselves and others which they expropriate from other critters. They are apparently both nocturnal and diurnal; my own observations have generally been early in the morning or late in the afternoon. They prey primarily on termites, beetles, and invertebrates. "Subterranean insects are located by sound, with the ears pitched horizontally to get a fix before rapid excavation. The very dense fur helps protect against the bites of soldier termites;" Kingdon (1997). It has more teeth than any non-marsupial mammal that serve to demolish hard-shelled invertebrate prey, such as scorpions and beetles. There are two disparate populations — one in east Africa and the other in south Africa — possibly because they require open habitats, rather than woodlands. All my encounters have been in savannah or along the edges of dry rivercourses in very broken, open woodland.

pair 11 Aug 2002 Ndutu, Tanzania

male Nov 1981 West Tsavo NP, Kenya

Kingdon (1997) argues this canine might better be called the "Acacia Jackal" because its range encompasses the open Acacia woodlands of east and southern Africa. However, especial in southern Africa, it occupies a broader variety of habitats, from wetter woodlands to arid Kalahari desert dune-woodland. The pairs studied by Mark & Delia Owens (1984) in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana were permanent residents in this arid environment that endures long stretches of hot, dry periods without rain. Except where there is overlap with the previous species, this is a vocal jackal, yowling at dusk each evening. Mated pairs form permanent pair-bonds and hunt cooperatively; they are often accompanied by the prior season's young (at least in east Africa). In some places, the local name is "Silver-backed Jackal." While the species does regularly scavenge from kills made by larger predators, it is an aggressive predator in its own right, taking on birds as large as bustards, small antelope, and large snakes. It can sometimes be seen out in the open during the day.

male July 1996 Kruger NP, South Africa

male 11 Aug 2002 Ndutu, Tanzania

Antelope form the bulk of their diet on the open plains where packs run down and overpower prey. Pups and adults that remain at a den are fed later by regurgitation. Mark & Delia Owens (1984) report some fascinating behavior during their irregular encounters in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana. A wild pack would tolerate an upright human moving slowly in their midst, but if the person crouched down, members of the pack would immediately begin to stalk him.

"The social arrangements of African wild dogs are extraordinary because they are the exact opposite of those in most other social mammals, such as as coatis, baboons, lions and elephants. With the wild dog pack all the males are related to each other, and all of the females to each other but not to the males. Females migrate into the pack, whereas males stay with their natal pack." Males outnumber females about 2:1 in each pack and help raise the young. It is the females that fight to breed. Indeed, only the dominant male and female breed in most situations; other females that produce litters are driven from the pack and are unlikely to survive (Malcolm 1985).