Undertoad • Jun 16, 2006 2:07 pm
Happy Friday! This is a family of foxes, believe it or not - they don't look like it, but these are BAT-eared foxes, an African type, very unique and rarely seen even in zoos. This bunch is at the San Diego zoo. This zoo blog entry details the arrivals, which were kind of unexpected.
Finally, on June 6, we got the first look at the kits. One of the keepers was feeding the adults near the burrow as usual, and saw three little heads emerge. The babies were marked with the black mask and feet, just like the adults, but their fur was very short. They were about 5 inches (12 centimeters) long, not including the tail, and were very lively, showing interest in the mealworms we tossed to the adults. Fox kits grow fast, and are fully mature at only eight to nine months old. These little guys were not wasting any time. The following day there was a bonus - four little fox heads poked out of the hole! No wonder Mom was so hungry all the time, with four mouths to feed.
As of now, the kits have not ventured out of the rock ring that surrounds their burrow. It shouldn’t be long until they begin exploring the rest of the exhibit. These foxes are most active early and late in the day, and at night. I will post when Desdamona allows them to leave their safe haven, and the best times to view them. Incidentally, the warthogs that share the exhibit with the family should not pose a problem or threat to the kits. They have peacefully coexisted with the adults, and additionally sleep in their bedroom every night, giving the foxes the run of the exhibit. I expect we will see little fox footprints outside the rock ring in the mornings before we actually see them out in the daylight hours.
