About Rodrigues Fruit Bats. These cute little creatures weigh about one pound.Also called flying foxes, Rodrigues fruit bats live only on Rodrigues Island in the Indian Ocean.

The fur on its head, neck and shoulders is golden.

Of the approximate 1,100 species of bat that live worldwide, the Rodrigues fruit bat was until recently one of the most endangered. Until recently many fruit bat species hunted for food, but now rarely on Rodrigues Island (Trewhella et al. In its native habitat on the western Indian Ocean island of Rodrigues, off the coast of Madagascar, precious little forest remains and the population is vulnerable to the effects of cyclones. They have a wingspan of about 3 feet and do not have a tail. Photo: Steve Gettle/Minden Pictures. This species also holds distinction as the only bat managed under an American Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP) to be successfully bred in captivity. Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. In our cozy Bat House in Nairobi Village, a camp of Rodrigues fruit bats observes guests from an upside-down perspective! Ask an Expert. These bats are covered with a thick brownish-black fur.

Rodrigues fruit bat's are a nocturnal sociable species that live in large colonies. Rodrigues Fruit Bat ( Pteropus rodricensis ) Population and conservation status, threats to survival, management actions These pages are part of the San Diego Zoo Global Library website. We hope to establish a small breeding colony here.

About Rodrigues Fruit Bats.

We hope to establish a small breeding colony here. Introduction. The fur on its head, neck and shoulders is golden. In our cozy Bat House in Nairobi Village, a camp of Rodrigues fruit bats observes guests from an upside-down perspective! Conservation status The IUCN believes the Rodrigues fruit bat faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. Their natural habitat is in the tropical moist lowland forests on Rodrigues island.

Rodrigues fruit bats are found in the rainforests of Rodrigues Island, in the Indian Ocean. You can help us bring species back from the brink by supporting the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy. The Rodrigues fruit bat was the first endangered fruit bat to be successfully bred in captivity. Our colony has successfully bred Rodrigues fruit bat pups—and we performed a successful C-section birth in 2017. Rodriguez Fruit Bats are endemic to Rodriguez Island and are among the world’s rarest bats. Previously uninhabited by humans, Rodrigues was discovered by Europeans in the mid-1600s. Fill out the form to ask an expert, and be sure to like Philadelphia Zoo on Facebook to participate in our regular keeper chats. At the end of the 1970s, their total population fell to just 70 as a result of deforestation and cyclones.