Egyptian Fruit Bats

The Egyptian Fruit Bat has a sharp muzzle, large dark eyes and pointed ears. Like other fruit bats, it looks a little foxlike, and is often referred to as a 'flying fox'.

These bats cluster in huge colonies of up to thousands of individuals, usually hanging from one foot from the ceiling of a cave, with their wings folded closely around their body.

When they return from their night's foraging just before daybreak, the bats make a great deal of noise as they jostle for a position in the cave's dark recesses.

Like other bats, the Egyptian fruit bat has incredible powers of echolocation, making a series of repeated tongue clicks which are bounced back from obstacles.

Once a fruit tree has been located, the bats circle it before settling on the branches, using their acute sense of smell as well as their eyesight to locate the ripe fruit. The juicy pulp is either consumed immediately or taken away in special cheek pouches.

These bats came from a private collection.