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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
eidolon,
straw-colored fruit bat |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Chiroptera |
| FAMILY: |
Pteropodidae
(wings) |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Eidolon
(image or phantom) helvum (light yellow) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
This
is a large yellow-brown bat with long, narrow, dark
brown wings. The hair on the neck is longer and
woollier than on the body. |
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| SIZE: |
Approximately
1676-2591 mm (66-102 in.); wingspan about 762 mm
(30.48 in.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
230-350
g (8.2-12.5 oz) |
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| DIET: |
Mostly
fruit, including mango, guava, papaya, and banana;
also leaves, flowers, pollen, and nectar |
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| GESTATION: |
Gestation
lasts approximately 9 months (4 months for delayed
implantation and 5 months for development); one
offspring per birth |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
2 years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Up
to 21 years in managed setting |
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| RANGE: |
Throughout
most of sub-Saharan Africa; parts of Arabian Peninsula;
Madagascar |
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| HABITAT: |
Inhabits
forests and savannas |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown,
common through range |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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|
| 1. |
There are over 1,000 different species of bats,
and they occur on every continent except Antarctica.
Only the mammal order Rodentia numbers more species. |
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| 2. |
Bats are divided into two groups: Megabats (also
known as flying foxes) and Microbats. Flying foxes
received this name from their characteristic long
muzzles. Eidolon (pronounced I-doe-lon) bats are
classified as megabats. |
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| 3. |
Megabats only make up around 10% of bat species,
and are exclusive to Africa, Asia, Australia, and
surrounding islands in the Indian Ocean. |
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| 4. |
Eidolon
bats roost in bare trees, lofts, and caves, and
sometimes occur in enormous colonies of 100,00-1,000,000
individuals, often near busy villages and towns. |
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| 5. |
These
bats cannot echolocate. Instead, they use their
excellent sense of sight and smell to locate their
food. |
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| 6. |
The
scientific name for bats, Chiroptera, means, "hand-wing".
This refers to the fact that their wings are made
from folds of skin stretched between their elongated
finger and hand bones and connected to their hind
legs and sides. |
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| 7. |
Eidolons
have very long and narrow wings, which make them
well suited for flying incredibly long distances. |
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| 8. |
Bats
"perch" on branches upside down by locking
the tendons in their feet and using their curved
claws, which allows them to hook onto perching surfaces.
Bats have to actually expend energy to "unhook"
their feet. |
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Bats are very important seed dispersers and pollinators
of flowers, trees, and shrubs. In fact, up to 90%
of rainforest growth is attributed to the seeds
from bat droppings. Even managed crops such as bananas,
avocados, vanillas, and peaches are dependent upon
bats for pollination.
As a source of prey, bats are important to animals
such as snakes and birds of prey.
Bats are also important as a food source to humans
in some areas.
Bats in captivity serve as important models for
research in endangered species management and conservation
education. They also hold immeasurable value as
participants in scientific and medical studies.
Although this species as a whole is not threatened,
destruction of their habitat due to population growth
and forest clearing in Africa could change their
status very rapidly. The fact that these animals
are seen as pests in fruit orchards coupled with
the fact that they are eaten quite readily in some
areas leads to heavy hunting pressures.
Bats are also the victims of a misinformed public.
There are many misconceptions about the spread of
rabies caused by bats. Less than one-half of one
percent of bats contracts rabies, and since bats
do not readily attack humans, they pose little threat
to people who do not handle them. In fact, most
bats will spend their entire lives without ever
coming into contact with humans. However, if a sick
or injured bat is found on the ground, a trained
adult wearing leather gloves should handle it. |
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|
|
Fenton, B. Bats. New York: Facts on File,
1992. |
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Gotch, A. F. Mammals - Their Latin Names Explained
- A Guide to Animal Classification. Poole, United
Kingdom: Blanford Press, 1979. |
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|
Hill, J. E., and J. D. Smith. Bats - A Natural
History. Austin, Texas: University of Texas
Press, 1984.
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|
| Mickleburgh,
S. P., et al. 1992. Old World Fruit Bats: An
Action Plan for Their Conservation. Intern'l
Union for Conservation of Natural Resources, Switzerland. |
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| Nowak,
R M. 1994. Walker's Bats of the World. Johns
Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London. |
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| Parker,
S. P. Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals. Vol.
II, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1990. |
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| Bat
Conservation International. www.batcon.org |
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| Lubee
Foundation. www.lubee.com |
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