Egyptian Fruit Bat

ANIMAL:
Egyptian Fruit Bat Rousettus aegyptiacus

Type of Animal:
Fruit Bat

Habitat:
Forests, savanna/savanna forest, caves, cave-like human structures (ruins, tombs, abandoned/underground tunnels, mines, military bunkers, etc.), xeric shrubland, desert, grasslands, montane shrubland, lowland areas, mountains, scrub forest, tree areas

Location(s):
Mostly disjunct populations-1 in N & E Egypt/Sudan border, 1 in S Ethiopia, 1 covering far South Sudan, W & S Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, NE Democratic Republic of Congo, & N Tanzania, 1 in small part of C Nigeria, 1 in E/SE Guinea, N Sierra Leone, N Liberia, & W Ivory Coast, 1 in Ghana & Togo, 1 in extreme SE Nigeria, W Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo, & NW Angola, 1 in southern South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, part of Zimbabwe-Zambia border, & Zimbabwe-Mozambique border, 1 on Malawi-Mozambique border, 1 in S Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, W Syria, Israel, & W Jordan, 1 in SW Saudi Arabia coast, Yemeni coast, & SW Oman, 1 in NE Oman, & E UAE, & 1 in SE Iran & extreme area of Pakistan bordering that

Appearance:
Long pointy ears, fox-like snout, large eyes, short tail, dark round naked ears, fur ranges from dark brown to grayish-brown w/ light belly, often has pale yellow or orange collar around neck

Food/Diet:
Fruits, fruit pulp/juice, nectar, pollen, leaves

Status in Wild:
Stable

Conservation:
Breeding in zoos & breeding centers

Lifestyle:
Colonies can number up to 9,000 individuals. Animals stay in same colony for entire lives.

Additional Info:

Called:
Male: Dog
Female: Bitch/Vixen
Young: Pup
Group: Colony

Weight:
Male: 4.62-4.7 oz
Female: 2.94-4.56 oz
Young: 2 oz

Gestation:
3.5-4 months 

Life Span:
10 years in wild, 22 years in captivity

Body Length:
Male: 5.5-7.56 in
Female: 4.76-6.57 in

Main predators are raptors, snakes, mustelids, cats, & genets.
 
Also called Egyptian Rousette.
 
Often persecuted as crop pest due to frugivorous diet.
 
Play important role in seed dispersal due to spitting out seeds from fruit consumed & pollination due to pollen/nectar part of diet.
 
Like many bats, they’re nocturnal.
 
Like many bats, they sleep upside down.
 
Females give birth to 1 (occasionally 2) pups per litter & breed once to twice a year.
 
Females sexually mature at 5 months old, males at 9 months old.

Fun Fact(s):
Can eat as much as 50-150% of body weight when hungry.
 
Sometimes called “dog bats” or “flying foxes.”
 
One of only 10 fruit bat species to use echolocation.
 
These bats natural reservoir for deadly Marburg hemorrhagic virus, which can spread to humans/other animals through saliva/urine/feces.
 
Seen as symbols of good fortune in parts of range.