A fox weighing about one kilogram, with ears nearly as long as its head, may be able to locate prey hidden under the sand just by listening. But is that really possible?
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The fennec, a small fox of the Sahara, has auditory bullae, the bony cavities of the ear, that are enlarged compared with its body size. Researchers see this as a sign of excellent hearing, which could help it detect burrowing insects.
The idea remains a hypothesis. No published experiment has yet tested a fennec's ability to hear buried prey, and the exact mechanism is unknown: sound travelling through sand, vibrations in the ground, or signals picked up through the feet are all possible leads.
The ears, on the other hand, have been measured. In adults, they are between 8.6 and 9.7 centimetres long. Much larger figures circulate online, but they do not match the verified measurements.
