Madagascan rousette

Madagascan rousette

Madagascar rousette

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Family
Subfamily
Genus
SPECIES
Rousettus madagascariensis
Weight
50-80
1.8-2.8
goz
g oz 
Length
11.5-14.5
4.5-5.7
cminch
cm inch 
Wingspan
42.5-52
16.7-20.5
cminch
cm inch 

The Madagascan rousette (Rousettus madagascariensis ) or Madagascar rousette, is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

No

Nocturnal

Fr

Frugivore

He

Herbivore

Zo

Zoochory

Is

Island endemic

Po

Pollinator

Te

Terrestrial

Po

Polygynandry

Po

Polygamy

Co

Colonial

So

Social

M

starts with

Appearance

The Madagascan rousette is a small fruit bat, the smallest of the three fruit bats endemic to Madagascar. The upper part of their bodies have a greyish fur while the underparts have a paler grey tinge. Like many other fruit bats, the Madagascan rousette have very dog-like faces with long, pointed snouts, large, wide eyes and largely separated ears. Like some other members of the genus Rousettus, these bats reside within cave roosts, suggesting the use of echolocation. These bats are a part of a larger group of fruit bats within Rousettus which consists of 10 different species. The Madagascan rousette primarily resides on western Indian Ocean islands.

Distribution

Geography

Continents
Countries
Biogeographical realms

The habitat of the Madagascan rousette is generally found to be associated with forests. They will roost well beyond the time of twilight. Many roosts have been found within caves however some bats have been found without a known cave roost, suggesting that the Madagascan rousette may sometimes roost within tree holes or other alternatives. They are observed to be highly mobile within a forest environment. This suggests that these bats could serve a role as pollinators and disperse seeds. The details of their diets are unknown but they have been observed to feed on introduced fruit as well as the fruits and nectar of endemic trees. They have also been found to primarily forage within eucalyptus forests.

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Though deforestation does occur in the habitat of these rousette, it is not well understood how this affects the species. A number of roosting colonies have been observed some distance from forests. More research is needed to clarify the extent to which deforestation affects them. However, efforts to preserve these rousette have been made by local laws protecting them and their roosts within nature reserves.

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Madagascan rousette habitat map

Climate zones

Madagascan rousette habitat map
Madagascan rousette
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Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
BABY CARRYING
0 to 1
INDEPENDENT AGE
6 weeks

References

1. Madagascan rousette Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascan_rousette
2. Madagascan rousette on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19750/22002909

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