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The Bat-eared Fox (Otocyon megalotis) is a canid of the African savanna found across much of southern Africa. For the first time in 7 years, in mid-September I spotted 2 different groups (5 and 6 animals) in 2 different locations in the Namib desert in the Walvis Bay area along the road to Sossusvlei. I have driven along this road on countless occasions but had never seen any.
Being mainly nocturnal, and given the high diurnal temperatures of the Namib desert, I was surprised to see these canids in that part of the desert, and at that time of the day, around 11 in the morning. I have seen a lot of Black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) in that same area, giving me the impression that they probably co-exist. Jackals’ diet being what we call ‘catholic’ (feeding on anything), they adapt easily to any environment. Bat-eared fox is mainly insectivorous but sometimes feeds on rodents, birds and their eggs and fruits. Thus, these two species may compete to some extent, with the more generalist jackal likely to prevail. It was a huge surprise for me as I wondered on how they were surviving in that area, given scarcity of water and food that characterizes this environment. I would like to believe the 2 groups I saw are from the same family, but have diversified in search of food to reduce intra-specific competition.