Mating tactics and paternity in a socially monogamous canid, the bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis)

Relatively little is known about the mating behavior, and factors that influence the mating behavior, of socially monogamous mammals. We used a combination of behavioral and genetic data to examine the mating tactics of a socially monogamous population of bat-cared foxes (Otocyon megatons). In contrast to some other canid species, we found no evidence that either sex increased range size or traveling distance during the mating season, demonstrating that neither sex roams widely in pursuit of extrapair copulations Mated partners maintained close proximity during, and sometimes outside, the mating season, suggesting that females looking to engage with extrapair mates might find it difficult to do so Consistent with these findings, microsatellite analyses revealed lower levels of extrapair paternity (EPP) than have been reported in other canid species, with only 9 8% of cubs produced outside of the pair-bond We suggest that the relatively low level of EPP in the bat-eared fox may be influenced partly by diet and foraging behavior, which makes it easy for males to maintain close proximity to partners and costly for either sex to roam in search of extrapair mates DOI. 10 1644/09-MAMM-A-046 1.