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All About Animals

Fruit Bats

  • bat

    Fun Fact: 

    Straw-colored fruit bats pollinate baobab trees as they eat nectar out of the flowers.

  • bat

    Fun Fact: 

    In the winter, our straw-colored fruit bats start to fly just before the Zoo closes.

  • bat

    Fun Fact: 

    Look for bats hanging out during the day in Franklin Park Zoo's Tropical Forest exhibit.

In the Tropical Forest, look for the bats hanging out during the day above the tapir exhibit in the tall trees as they sleep through the day. Or, in the winter, they start to fly around just about an hour before the Zoo closes.

About the Straw-Colored Fruit Bat

conservation status: near threatened

Geographic Range:

range map

Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Pteropodidae
Genus: Eidolon 
Species: helvum

Named for its tawny brown color and dietary preferences, the straw-colored fruit bat is native to Sub-Saharan Africa. It lives in colonies of 100,000 to 1,000,000, roosting by day in tall trees and sometimes lofts and caves. Though their bodies are small—about 5 to 9 inches long—the straw-colored fruit-bat’s wingspan can reach three feet. The bat’s strong, tapered wings allow it to fly great distances—it has actually been found 125 miles out to sea!

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