How does Africa’s most hunted bat vary across the continent? Population traits of the straw-coloured fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) and its interactions with humans
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Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Acta Chiropterologica
Abstract
The straw-coloured fruit bat, Eidolon helvum, is a common and conspicuous migratory species, with an extensive distribution across
sub-Saharan Africa, yet hunting and habitat loss are thought to be resulting in decline in some areas. Eidolon helvum is also a known
reservoir for potentially zoonotic viruses. Despite E. helvum’s importance, ecological and behavioural traits are poorly described
for this species. Here we present extensive data on the distribution, migration patterns, roost size, age and sex composition of
29 E. helvum roosts from nine countries across tropical Africa, including roosts not previously described in the literature. Roost age
and sex composition were dependent on timing of sampling relative to the annual birth pulse. Rather than a single ‘breeding season’
as is frequently reported for this species, regional asynchrony of reproductive timing was observed across study sites (with birth
pulses variably starting in March, April, September, November or December). Considered together with its genetic panmixia, we
conclude that the species has a fluid, fission-fusion social structure, resulting in different roost ‘types’ at different times of the year
relative to seasonal reproduction. Bat-human interactions also varied across the species’ geographical range. In the absence of
significant hunting, large urban colonies were generally tolerated, yet in regions with high hunting pressure, bats tended to roost in
remote or protected sites. The extensive quantitative and qualitative data presented in this manuscript are also valuable for a wide
range of studies and provide an historical snapshot as its populations become increasingly threatened.
Description
Keywords
Age composition, Demography, Fission-fusion, Hunting, Straw-coloured fruit bat
Citation
Peel, A. J., Wood, J. L., Baker, K. S., Breed, A. C., De Carvalho, A., Fernández-Loras, A., ... & Hayman, D. T. (2017). How does Africa's most hunted bat vary across the continent? Population traits of the straw-coloured fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) and its interactions with humans. Acta Chiropterologica, 19(1), 77-92. doi: 10.3161/15081109ACC2017.19.1.006