earthling @appassionato@mastodon.social
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Have you ever seen the bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis)? This small predator can be found in regions of eastern and southern Africa. On average, it weighs only 7 to 12 lbs (3 to 5 kg). Unlike most canids, it specializes in hunting the tiniest of prey: insects. And where are insects often found? Poop!

Photo: Royle Safaris, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

via amnhnyc



Image Description A photo of a bat-eared fox. The fox has brownish fur with dark markings on its face and lower limbs. It has very large ears. The bat-eared fox enjoys munching on dung beetles, and dung beetles lay their eggs in the poop of ungulates like zebras and antelope. Using its oversized ears, this animal can even hear beetle larvae hatching in dung, which probably sounds a lot like a dinner bell to this wily critter. In fact, dung beetles and termites make up about 80 percent of this species’ diet, and a single bat-eared fox can eat up to 1.15 million termites each year!
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