Rodrigues Fruit Bat
- Status
- Critically Endangered
- This animal is currently Endangered
- Extinct in the Wild
- Least Concern
- Near Threatened
- Vulnerable
Rodrigues Fruit Bat
Pteropus rodricensis
Often referred to as “flying foxes,” Rodrigues fruit bats were reported to be abundant on Rodrigues Island until the mid 1900s. There was a marked decline in the 1970s, and following Cyclone Celine II in 1979 the population was reduced to around 70 bats. As of 2016, the population has rebounded to over 20,000 individuals on Rodrigues Island.
In 1998, the Philadelphia Zoo established the first environmental educator on Rodrigues to help inform the locals about conservation to make sure this bat never comes so close to extinction again. The Zoo is one of the few zoos in the nation that has a breeding group of these endangered bats.
What are they like?
Physical Description: The Rodrigues is a medium-sized fruit bat weighing between 10 and 12 ounces. They typically have a thick coat of reddish-brown fur with golden brown hair over the head, neck, and shoulders.
Life Span: Their lifespan in the wild is unknown, but in zoos, Rodrigues fruit bats can live up to 20 years.
Diet: In the wild, Rodrigues fruit bats eat wild figs, guavas, bananas, breadfruits, mangoes, papayas, and other aromatic ripe fruits, as well as the flowers and leaves of many local and introduced plant species. At the Zoo, they eat fruit nectar fortified with vitamins and minerals, fresh fruits, and vegetables.
Social Structure: Rodrigues fruit bats live in colonies that are usually made up of one male and several females, known as harem.
Habitat: Rodrigues fruit bats live in tropical lowland forests. At the Zoo, their habitat includes tree branches and ropes for climbing, as well as hanging baskets and feeders.
Did you know?
- Males produce a very obvious odor from specialized scent glands on their chin, neck, and shoulders, which they rub on branches to mark their territory.
- When cold or wet, Rodrigues fruit bats roost with their wings folded tightly around themselves for warmth. When hot, they flap their outstretched wings to cool down.
- They gather to sleep in communal roosting trees. When trying to obtain better roosting positions, they will emit loud screams and screeches.
