A LITTER of puppies has been born on Exmoor to ‘two of the cutest foxes ever’ in a secret location which has been sealed off with barriers for the past six weeks.

The ‘bat-eared’ foxes have now been unveiled for visitors to Exmoor Zoo after being raised in quiet place within the grounds for the past few weeks.

Four cubs were born to the foxes, three females and a male, and the photographs here explain how they got their name.

In the wild, they live on the grass savannah of Africa and make a living by hunting termites.

Zoo collection manager Danny Reynolds said: “Have you ever heard an ant or a termite move around?

“Well, a bat-eared fox can.

“Over the years of evolution these charming and very good-natured foxes have completely adapted their life style to just eat termites.

“Unlike other foxes and dogs, their teeth have increased in number and become extremely small for crunching up the exoskeletons of the tiny termites.

“Not only has their dentition changed but they have developed the most acute hearing and the largest ears for their size of any wild dog.”

The zoo initially kept the family’s living area quiet and did not tell anybody about the birth of the cubs until they had started growing up and became more independent from the mother.

Mr Reynolds said he hoped the zoo could keep all the puppies as they grew up, although it might require a larger home within the grounds for them.

‘Vuko’, the pups’ sire was born in Ogrod Zoo, in Wroclaw, Poland, while his mate ‘Opal’ was born in Opel-Zoo, Frankfurt, in Germany.

The birth was a welcome surprise because only one other zoo in the UK, Africa Alive, in Norfolk, has a breeding pair of ‘bat eared’ foxes.

Exmoor Zoo curator Derek Gibson said: “We have been carefully nurturing the puppies with extra feeds and lots of their parents’ favourite food, mincemeat, and they are only now beginning to let the puppies have a share as they are starting to be weaned.”

The zoo is asking for help to name the puppies – whose keepers were lightheartedly threatening to name the male ‘Batty McBatface’.

Names stay with the animals for life, even if they are moved to other zoos.