The most widely spread fruit bat in Africa is the straw-colored fruit bat (Eidolon helvum).  This bat is very interesting.

Straw-colored fruit bats are very popular bats.  The size of these bats can be about 5.7 to 9 inches long in length and weigh 8 to 12 ounces.  Their wingspan can reach up to 30 inches.  The wings are long and the tips are tapered.  They get their name from their silky yellowish or straw color of their exterior.  The wings and hair are black, though the males are generally bright orange and females are usually a silky yellowish.  Most of the bats have huge cheeks, eyes, and ears.

This bat has been mostly found in Africa and Madagascar.  It is found more often in the forest, the savannah zones, and the southwestern Arabian Peninsula.

The size of the population is huge.  They travel in massive colonies of at least 100,000 to 1,000.000 bats.  These bats are reaching the nearly threatened list due to the decreasing population trend and because they are being eaten.

The straw-colored fruit bat role in the food web is eating fruit and then dropping seeds to other grounds.  They eat bark, flowers, leaves, nectar, and fruits.  Their competition for their food is with other bats and animals.

The predators of this bat are owls, eagles, snakes, buzzards, and humans.  In certain parts of Africa, humans eat these bats for food.  The straw-colored bat evades being eaten by flying away or hiding in small places against big predators.

Some interesting facts that I found about the straw-colored bat are their lifespan is 20 to 30 years.  They can live everywhere except cold weather and deserts.  Also, their gestation can take between 100-125 days.  I found this to be an incredible animal.

 

Author:  Shelby M
Published: 05/2012

 

"Ediolon Helvum." Akron Zoo. Web. 9 Feb. 2011. http://www.akronzoo.org/visit/

"Ediolon Helvum." Wikipedia. Web. 1 Feb. 2011. http://www.wikipedia.org/

"Wildlife: Straw Coloured Fruit Bat." AWF. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.
http://www.awf.org/content/wildlife/detail/elephant