Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat (Epomops buettikoferi ) is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, and moist savanna. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat is an African megabat similar in appearance to Franquet's epauletted fruit bat. However, it can be differentiated by its greater forearm, greater skull length, and longer first molar.
Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bats are found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. Their natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, and moist savanna.
Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bats are nocturnal creatures that spend daylight hours hanging from their feet in the foliage under the canopy of trees. They are social and sometimes occur in large colonies; these may include up to hundreds of individuals. In order to find food, these bats use their keen senses of smell and sight. They are incredible eaters and can consume up to 2.5 times their own body weight in fruit per night.
Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bats are herbivores (frugivores) and feed almost exclusively on fruit.
Little is known about the reproduction of this species. It is possible that there are two breeding seasons per year, as pregnant females have been encountered in January and July. Juveniles have been found in March and August.
Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bats do not face any major threats at present. However, in some parts of their range, they suffer from the loss of their natural habitat which is caused mainly by deforestation.
According to IUCN, Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat is locally common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
