Egyptian Fruit Bat or Egyptian Rousette

Egyptian Fruit Bat or Egyptian Rousette

General Description

Egyptian fruit bats are dark brown or grayish brown, with their undersides paler than their backs, a long muzzle, and a two-foot wingspan (approximately 60 cm). They weigh 80–170 g.
The body is 15 cm in length. Males are larger than females and can be easily distinguished by their large scrotums and the prominent, stiff strands of hair around their throats.
Adults have a total of 34 teeth.
The fur on its body is relatively short and consists of soft and sleek strands.
On its back, the fur’s coloration ranges from dark brown to gray-brown, while the coloration on its underside is pale brown with a yellowish-brown collar around its neck.

Its wings are of a darker brown than its body and the wing membranes attach to the leg at the first toe.
Males and females have similar coloration.
The bat is well adapted to seeing in low light and possesses a highly developed sense of smell.
Its eyes are large and well-developed, while its ears are considered medium-length.

Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

Females give birth to only one offspring, on average, after a gestation period of 105–120 days.
True to their name, these nocturnal mammals feed almost exclusively on soft fruits, such as dates, apples, and apricots.
These bats are highly social species and live in colonies with thousands of other bats.
Young bats cling to the female for about 3 weeks, until they can hang from branches on their own, and begin flying after 3 months.
The bat has two breeding seasons: the first is from April to August, while the second season is from October to February.
Females typically give birth to only a single offspring each year (called a “pup”), but twins are occasionally born, after a gestationperiod of around 115 to 120 days.
The female carries the pup until it is six weeks old, which is when it can hang in the roost on its own.
Offspring typically stay with the same colony as the parents for their entire lives.
The average lifespan ranges from 8 to 10 years.

Damages and Medical Implications

The bat eats commercially grown fruits intended for human consumption and cause crop loss to the farmers.
It is a suspected reservoir for several human diseases. It is hypothesized that it can spread the Marburg virus to conspecifics through contact with infected excretions. Exposure to guano could be a route of transmission to humans.