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The bat-eared fox can chew five times a second, which makes for some awesome ASMR! [1]

['Jennifer Sandlin']

Date: 2025-07-11

I love discovering wacky and wonderful animals that I never knew existed, and I love sharing them with you even more! My latest find is the bat-eared fox. This creature isn't simply cute, though, it's also got some super cool adaptations and abilities that help it thrive in hot, dry grasslands where many other creatures can't survive.

First, let's talk about the obvious — the bat-eared fox's ginormous ears, or what this video from Creatures of Earth and Sea describes as "satellite dishes" and "nature's real-life radar system." Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute explains that these massive ears, which can reach up to five inches long, are filled with blood vessels that shed heat and help keep the funny foxes cool in the hot climates where they live. But their big ol' ears also help them hear insects — which comprise about ninety percent of their diet — moving around underground. The bat-eared fox is the only canid that survives mainly on insects, with some other delicacies thrown in like fruits, berries, seeds, grasshoppers, scorpions, and whatever else they can find. Their insect of choice, though, is the harvester termite. The San Diego Zoo explains that they find food by "walking slowly with their nose close to the ground and ears cocked."

Once the insects are located, they dig quickly in order to snarf up all of the crunchy treats, which brings us to the foxes' next cool adaptation, their abundant and fast-moving chompers! San Diego Zoo explains that these special foxes have more molars — three upper and four lower on each side of the mouth — than most canids, who typically only have two upper and three molars on each side. Smithsonian National Zoo adds that they have the most teeth of any placental mammal, around 46 to 50, which help them easily and quickly crush and crunch up insects. Additionally, they have a special bone structure on their lower jaw that anchors the muscles used for chewing, which allows them to chew more than three times per second (and some sources even put this up to five times per second).

So there you have it, giant ears and warp-speed crunching — it's honestly the most perfect combination I can think of. And wait until you see and hear all of this in action! Check out this incredibly adorable video of two bat-eared foxes who live at Tanganyika Wildlife Park crunching on apples and carrots. It's animal ASMR on steroids, and I couldn't be happier about that! Enjoy!

See more bat-eared foxes at Tanganyika Wildlife Park's YouTube and Instagram.

Previously:

• Meet the viscacha, an adorable creature that is so cute it almost doesn't seem real

• The fennec fox is the cutest animal on the planet

• ASMR: Flying fox bats eating watermelon

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[1] Url: https://boingboing.net/2025/07/11/the-bat-eared-fox-can-chew-five-times-a-second-which-makes-for-some-awesome-asmr.html

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