Bats

On this page:

• MAURITIUS FRUIT BAT or MAURITIUS FLYING FOX (Pteropus Niger)
  
• RODRIGUES FRUIT BAT (Pteropus Rodricensis)
  

MAURITIUS FRUIT BAT or MAURITIUS FLYING FOX (Pteropus Niger):

The bat can be seen in Mauritian forests in large numbers, e.g. within the Black River National Park, but was once more widespread over the island. Fruit bats are frugivores, existing on a diet of fruit, and they use both sight and smell to find it. They do not have echolocation (unlike the small insectivorous bats), which means that they often collide with power lines and other objects, especially on dark, moonless nights. They can be seen at dawn and dusk, flying to and from fruit trees. In September 2006 the government of Mauritius began, controversially, to discuss the possibility of culling it in order to protect fruit growers’ interests.

RODRIGUES FRUIT BATS (Pteropus Rodricensis):

Often called the golden bat, this is a very attractive species, with thick, dark brown or chestnut-coloured fur and a golden–brown head, neck and shoulders. Like the Mauritian species, their diet consists of fruit and they are also important pollinators and seed dispersers. This rare bat is endemic to the Mascarenes but is now found only on Rodrigues, having become extinct on Mauritius. The bats at La Vanille have all been bred in captivity.