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Common Name: African Straw-colored fruit Bat Distribution: Mauritania , Senegal , and Gambia to Ethiopia to South Africa ; SW Arabia and Oman ; islands in the Gulf of Guinea and off E Africa . Status : IUCN/SSC Action Plan (1992) = Not Threatened. IUCN 2002 - Lower Risk (lc).
The straw colored fruit bat is the most widely distributed of all the African fruit bats and is quite common throughout its range from the southwestern Arabian Peninsula, forest and savanna zones of Africa (south of the Sahara ) to the offshore island of Madagascar . Two sub species have been recognized.
The straw colored fruit bat got its name from its silky yellowish or straw colored pelage. The species can reach a length of 143-215 mm, with a tail length of 4-20 mm. Its wingspan can reach a length of up to 762 mm. The sexes are much the same in color and size, adult males and females weighing in the range 230 to 350 grams. Straw colored fruit bats reach sexual maturity at 18 months of age and have a gestation period of 120 days after which a single pup is produced.
The straw colored fruit bats wings are long and narrow and are adapted for long flights. These bats have been seen flying at great heights when exiting large roosts. The straw colored fruit bats prime habitats are forested regions and its migrations carry it throughout all but the desert areas of the African continent. It can be found in elevations up to 2000 m. It is gregarious and prefers to roost in tall trees during the day. Straw colored fruit bats roost in large colonies in trees stripped off their leaves. Like other megabats, they prefer to eat various fruits, but have been known to eat blossoms, and the young shoots of silk-cotton trees. Eidolon helvum has an unusual habit of chewing into soft wood to obtain moisture.
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