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  • 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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    Author(s)
    Peel, Alison J
    Wood, James LN
    Baker, Kate S
    Breed, Andrew C
    de Carvalho, Arlindo
    Fernandez-Loras, Andres
    Gabrieli, Harrison Sadiki
    Gembu, Guy-Crispin
    Kakengi, Victor A
    Kaliba, Potiphar M
    Kityo, Robert M
    Lembo, Tiziana
    Mba, Fidel Esono
    Ramos, Daniel
    Rodriguez-Prieto, Inaki
    Suu-Ire, Richard
    Cunningham, Andrew A
    Hayman, David TS
    Griffith University Author(s)
    Peel, Alison J.
    Year published
    2017
    Metadata
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    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 ...
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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.
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    Journal Title
    Acta Chiropterologica
    Volume
    19
    Issue
    1
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2017.19.1.006
    Copyright Statement
    © 2017 Science & Medicine. The attached file is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the journal's website for access to the definitive, published version.
    Subject
    Zoology
    Zoology not elsewhere classified
    Environmental management
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/340758
    Collection
    • Journal articles

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