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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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw-colored fruit bats ( Eidolon helvum) are an ecologically important species of megachiropteran bat that are common both in captivity and in the wild. This study attempts to determine reference intervals from a group of 45 captive individuals for a variety of hematologic and biochemistry parameters. Most of the values are similar to values previously seen in other pteropodid bat species. Differences included a lower than expected reference interval for the total white blood cell count, a wider reference interval for glucose, and a higher reference interval for 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Establishing reference intervals for hematologic and biochemistry analytes for bats that were maintained on the same diet and under the same husbandry parameters for several years will help in the future assessment of other bats maintained in a similar manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research which examined the population genetic structure of the pteropodid fruit bat Eidolon (E.) dupreanum. Topics discussed include the divergence between E. dupreanum and E. helvum, the demographic history of the two species and the dispersal process for E. dupreanum. Also discussed is the potential of E. dupreanum as a reservoir host for human-infecting pathogens.

The article presents a study of population fluctuations, roost site selection and diet of straw-coloured fruit bats, Eidolon helvum, in western Kenya. The study finds that tree density and number of tree branches were important factors in roost site selection, adding that the removal of roost trees impacts their conservation in the region. It proposes an outreach programme in schools and communities as bats were viewed negatively and persecuted by roost tree clearance and eradication attempts.