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BAT-EARED FOX PORTRAIT (2006)

Acrylic on illustration board 20" x 10"
$5,000.

The peculiar little Bat-eared Fox (Otocyon megalotis) is found in African steppes and savannahs from Ethiopia and Angola south. They have no close living relatives, and were once thought to represent a primitive lineage, because of their unique dentition; they have more teeth than any other heterodont (having different types of teeth), placental mammal. It's more likely, though, that this was a mutation that arose in a population of more typical foxes. Capable diggers, they excavate complex tunnel networks, where they escape from heat and enemies, and raise their litters of two to six pups. They feed largely on insects, mostly termites, with occasional vertebrate supplements.