Dictionary

Delalande's fox en · NOUN

Etymology

After French naturalist Pierre Antoine Delalande.

Meanings

1. Synonym of bat-eared fox.
   • The Bat-eared, or Delalande's fox is called "mbweha masikio" in Kiswahili, which means "eared jackal," but he is a true fox (and has, for example, the fox-like vertical eye pupils). Found only in Africa, this is the one fox — there are others in Africa — that the safarist is likely to see. 1987, Fetner, P. Jay; Plimpton, George, The African safari: the ultimate wildlife and photographic adventure, →OCLC:
   • The cosmopolitan family Canidae has five representatives in South Africa. Two of these belong to genera peculiar to the Ethiopigm region. One of them, Delalande's Fox (Otocyon megalotis), is a gentle and harmless little creature preying chiefly on termites, and distinguished externally by its long pointed ears. 1905, Flint, William, Science in South Africa: a handbook and review. Prepared under the auspices of the South African governments and the South African association for the advancement of science, →OCLC:
   • The so-called foxes of South America, such as the crab-eating fox (C. thous), Azara’s fox (C. azarae), and the colpeo (C. magellanicus), are aberrant members of the typical genus Canis. On the other hand, the long-eared fox or Delalande’s fox (Otocyon megalotis) of south and east Africa represents a totally distinct genus. 1910, The Encyclopedia Britannica:

Forms

Synonyms

bat-eared fox