Paternal den attendance is the best predictor of offspring survival in the socially monogamous bat-eared fox

Although considerable data are available on the subject for birds, almost nothing is known about the adaptive nature of paternal care in mammals. I studied the adaptive significance of paternal care in a socially monogamous population of bat-eared foxes, Otocyon megalotis. Between the birth and weaning of cubs males spent significantly more time in the den vicinity than females, and, with the exception of lactation, were involved in all aspects of cub care. Multivariate analyses revealed that, compared to parental size and age, territory quality and maternal den attendance, paternal den attendance was the best predictor of both the number and proportion of cubs surviving to weaning age. I suggest that the parental roles of bat-eared foxes are related to the species' diet, and propose that the beneficial nature of male care may be sufficient to make social monogamy the optimal mating strategy for males as well as females.