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EGYPTIAN FRUIT BAT Rousettus aegyptiaca
Identification This large bat has a pointed, dog-like head, large eyes
and a very short tail. The fur of the upperparts is dark brown and the
underparts are grey-brown, sometimes with a brighter brown tinge.
Size Wingspan 60 cm.
Habitat and Behaviour The Egyptian Fruit Bat is one of the very few
fruit bats that can navigate by echolocation. It spends the daylight
hours roosting in caves, in colonies that can number from just a few
hundred to several thousand. The species feeds on a wide range of
ripe wild and cultivated fruits, including dates and figs. It also seeks
out nectar, and in this way serves as a pollinator for a number of tree
species. For the first six weeks of its life the single young is carried
by the mother when she goes off to forage. After this, when it is too
heavy, it is left at the roost until it can forage on its own.
Distribution and Status This bat occurs along the Gulf of Oman and
Persian Gulf coastal plain of Iran, around the coast of the Arabian
Peninsula from the UAE, Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. It is also
found in parts of Turkey, the eastern Mediterranean coastline and
adjacent interior, and westwards into Egypt, especially along the Nile.