Egyptian rousette
The Egyptian fruit bat or Egyptian rousette (Rousettus aegyptiacus ) is a species of megabat that is found in Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the Indian subcontinent. It is one of three Rousettus species with an African-Malagasy range, though the only species of its genus found on continental Africa. The common ancestor of the three species colonized the region in the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene. The species is traditionally divided into six subspecies. It is considered a medium-sized megabat, with adults weighing 80–170 g (2.8–6.0 oz) and possessing wingspans of approximately 60 cm (24 in). Individuals are dark brown or grayish brown, with their undersides paler than their backs.
The Egyptian fruit bat is a highly social species, usually living in colonies with thousands of other bats. It, along with other members of the genus Rousettus, are some of the only fruit bats to use echolocation, though a more primitive version than used by bats in other families. It has also developed a socially-complex vocalization system to communicate with conspecifics. The Egyptian fruit bat is a frugivore that consumes a variety of fruits depending on the season and local availability. Because of its consumption of commercially-grown fruits, the Egyptian fruit bat is considered a pest by farmers. It also acts as a pollinator and seed disperser for many species of trees and other plants.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
An insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
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PollinatorA pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilizat...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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PolygynandryPolygynandry is a mating system in which both males and females have multiple mating partners during a breeding season.
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
Highly social animals are those which are highly interactive with other members of their species. They live in large groups, nest in colonies, and ...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withOriginally described from an individual which was in Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza, the Egyptian fruit bat is a comparatively large, robust bat that has a fox-like face with noticeably large eyes, dark, rounded, naked ears and a short tail. Its fine sleek fur ranges in color from dark brown to grayish-brown, lighter on its belly, often with an orange or pale yellow collar around its neck. It is sometimes called a flying fox, due to its appearance. It has a very long tongue which coils around its rib cage when it isn’t feeding.
The Egyptian fruit bat is scattered across North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, the Mediterranean, the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East, and as far as southwest Asia. These animals may migrate in some parts of its range. They inhabit a range of habitats, from tropical to arid areas, relying on a sufficient supply of fruit trees and suitable sites for roosting. This bat roosts in caves, unlike other fruit bats, as well as man-made structures that are similar, such as ruins, tombs, underground irrigation tunnels, mines and military bunkers.
Egyptian fruit bats live in groups that range from 20 to 40 individuals to huge colonies of 9,000. The colonies prefer roosting during the day in dark environments that are slightly humid, such as ruins and caves, though small colonies are seen roosting in trees. In the breeding season, males form bachelor groups while the females are in separate maternity colonies. These bats roost close together to reduce the effect of temperature fluctuations. This close contact enables communication with one another throughout the day when roosting. An Egyptian fruit bat is nocturnal and more active in the late afternoon and night, when there is more frequent grooming. Individuals leave the roost around sunset each evening to go and forage, returning before sunrise.
And Egyptian fruit bat is a frugivore, preferring to eat the juice and pulp of very ripe fruit. They prefer to eat the fruit of trees, such as lilac, carob, mulberry, sycamore, fig, and baobab.
Egyptian fruit bats may exhibit both polygynandrous (promiscuous - both males and females breed with multiple mates) or polygynous (one male mates with multiple females) mating systems. Breeding typically occurs between April and August and again from October to February. A single pup is raised, though sometimes twins are born. Gestation is for about 3.5 to 4 months, synchronized births occurring in the breeding colonies. The pups are weaned between 6 to 10 weeks old and there is no difference between the genders as regards their growth. Young reach their full adult size and weight around the age of 9 months, and at about this time they become independent of their mothers. On average maturity is reached at 15 months, though females can be mature as soon as 5 to 7 months.
Although still widespread and abundant, Egyptian fruit bats face several threats. They are considered pests by many fruit farmers, with cave roosts often being destroyed or fumigated, or the bats poisoned. They are hunted as a food source in some parts of Africa, while being shot in other areas. People are further distressed by bat droppings accumulating on buildings’ walls. Other threats include deforestation and increasing tourism in caves.
According to IUCN, Egyptian fruit bat is broadly distributed and abundant but no overall population estimate is available. According to the IUCN Red List, specific populations have been estimated in these areas: up to 40,000 to 50,000 animals in Africa, with colonies in South-west Asia typically numbering 50 to 500, although as many as 3,000 were observed in a cave in Jordan. In Turkey the population is estimated at 5,000 to 10,000 animals, where the population may be decreasing as a result of control measures in caves. A single locality only is known in Syria of 1,000 to 2,000 individuals. Overall, Egyptian fruit bats’ numbers remain stable and they are classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
Egyptian fruit bats pollinate many trees that flower nocturnally throughout paleotropical forests. As frugivores, the bats pollinate fruit tree flowers and assist also as the main agent for seed dispersal on behalf of many tree species.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...