STRAW COLORED FRUIT BAT Eidolon helvum Mammal Order Chiroptera Description Head and body length is 6-8 inches; Tail: 0.15-0.78 inches. Wingspan: 30 inches max.. Weight: males and females 8-12 ounces. Color: yellowish brown above, and tawny olive or brownish below. Hairs on the neck, are longer and more wooly than those on the body. Males have cinnamon colored hairs on the glandular skin on the foreneck and sides of the neck which is less conspicuous in the females. Range Africa (Sw. Arabian peninsula, most of the forests and savanna zones of Africa south of the Sahara and Madagascar.) Status These animals are particularly vulnerable to habitat destruction. Photo by Greg Neise

Ecology Habitat Forests and savannas, preferring to roost in trees by day, but can also be found in lofts and caves.   Niche Juices of various fruits are the preferred food, though this bat also feeds on blossoms and young shoots of the silk - cotton tree. The straw colored fruit bat has the unusual habit of chewing into soft wood, apparently to obtain moisture. Life History These animals can live in colonies as large as 100,000 to 1,000,000 individuals of both sexes. There is a single young per female after anine month gestation (4 month delayed implantation and 5 month gestation). The known longevity record is 21 years 10 months incaptivity. Special Adaptations Long narrow wings adapted to fly long distances. These bats guide themselves by sight and locate food by smell.