Mammals · Chiroptera · Pteropodidae

African Straw-coloured Fruit-bat

Eidolon helvum

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

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

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

SavannaRainforestTemperate forestHerbivore Nocturnal Colonial Near Threatened Savanna Rainforest Temperate forest Mammal

16countries 11parks9same family

Fun facts

Every year between October and December some ten million of these bats gather in a small swamp forest at Kasanka, in Zambia: it is the largest congregation of mammals known on the planet.
Some individuals cover more than 2,000 kilometres on their seasonal migrations, the greatest distance documented for an African bat.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Forest, wooded savanna and urban trees across almost all of sub-Saharan Africa
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 9 months
Litter / clutch size: 1

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eidolon_helvum