One of the 8 flying foxes on WAnimals
Mammals · Chiroptera · Pteropodidae
African Straw-coloured Fruit-bat
Eidolon helvum
Near Threatened
It could become threatened in the near future if current threats go unchecked.
The African straw-coloured fruit bat is the most abundant migratory bat in Africa and stages the largest gathering of mammals in the world. It is frugivorous and nectarivorous, and its seasonal movements follow the fruiting of trees across the continent. It forms enormous daytime colonies in tall trees, including in the squares and gardens of large African cities. Its role as a disperser of hardwood tree seeds is hard to overstate in the regeneration of African forests.
Weight
240 g – 350 g
Size
14 cm – 21 cm
Life expectancy
15 years
