Summary: Bat-Eared Foxes Share Parental Duties - TEAMWORK! Episode 53 - by Mary Bates (Click here to directly access the MP3) (Access the full text transcript) It’s not often that you find a mammal in which the father takes equal part in raising the kids, let alone a case where he performs most of the parental care. But bat-eared foxes are unique. Researchers have discovered that bat-eared foxes are dedicated dads that demonstrate several unusual parental care behaviors — including teaching cubs about their prey and providing them with dung. Listen to the Podcast to learn more! For more information: Bat-Eared Fox (Otocyon Megalotis) le Roux, A., Beishuizen, R., Brekelmans, W., Ganswindt, A., Paris, M., and Dalerum, F. (2013). Innovative parental care in a myrmecophagous mammal. Acta Ethologica July 2013. doi: 10.1007/s10211-013-0157-1 Mary Bates is a freelance science writer living in Boston. She has a Ph.D. in psychology from Brown University where she studied bat echolocation. You can visit her website at www.marybateswriter.com and follow her on Twitter at @mebwriter.
