The Egyptian fruit bat (or Rousettus aegyptiacus) is a megabat living in the rainforests, deciduous woodlands and scrublands of Sub-Saharan Africa, Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula. Their body is covered in fur that may be yellow, orange or brown in colour. They have large, grey-black wings with pinker colouration around the fingers. Egyptian fruit bats have a long snout ending in a blunt nose, large round eyes and big pointed ears. On average, they measure 15cm in length, with a wingspan of around 60cm. Their weight ranges between 80g and 170g. Males of this species tend to be slightly larger and heavier than females.
Latin Name
Rousettus aegyptiacus
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egyptian-fruit-bat
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Animal Facts
The Egyptian fruit bat will eat 50-150% of its bodyweight in fruit every night.
The Egyptian fruit bat has been known to live in colonies of up to 9000 bats.
Egyptian fruit bats have an exclusively frugivorous diet and are ecologically important as seed dispersers.
The Egyptian fruit bat is a highly vocal species; they have been found to have the rudiments of language and communicate to conspecifics about specific topics such as food sources.
Egyptian fruit bats have been heavily researched due to their excellent navigation and echolocation.
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