Rodrigues Flying-Fox

Facts

IUCN CRITICALLY ENDANGERED (CR)

Facts about this animal

The Rodrigues flying-fox is a relatively small sized fruit bat with a wingspan of 90 cm and a body mass of about 350g. it has a thick fur. The colouration of the fur is fairly variable. Usually, most of the coat is dark chestnut brown in colour. A mantle of golden brown hair covers the head, neck, and shoulders. The thumb and second finger each have a claw, while the claw on the thumb is hooked for climbing.

Rodrigues fruit bats live in forests where they roost in large trees. They are gregarious, forming large colonies comprising harem groups of one male and up to eight females, mixed-sex subadult groups, and single males. Like most bats, they are nocturnal. Dusk and dawn are the two main peaks of activity.

Rodrigues fruit bats reach sexual maturity at one year of age. They have a gestation period of 120-180 days and produce a single offspring.

Their diet includes flowers, nectar, and fruit. Food is usually crushed in the mouth allowing the juices to be swallowed and the pulp to be spit out. Major food items include mangos, figs, and tamarind pods.

Did you know?
that a series of violent storms in the 1970's reduced the population of Rodrigues fruit bats to about 70 animals. They were on the verge of extinction until 1976 when the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust brought a select group of animals to Jersey Zoo and started an ex situ breeding program. Bats in the wild now number again about 1200.

Factsheet
Class	MAMMALIA
Order	CHIROPTERA
Suborder	MEGACHIROPTERA
Family	PTEROPODIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Pteropus rodricensis
Name (English)	Rodrigues Flying-Fox
Name (French)	La Roussette de Rodrigue
Name (German)	Rodriguez-Flughund
Name (Spanish)	Zorro volador de la isla Rodrígues
CITES Status	Appendix II
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Vladimír Motyčka

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Mascarene Islands. Extinct on Mauritius and on Round Island. Today found only on Rodrigues, where it is confined to Cascade Pigeon, a small wooded valley just north of the capital of Rodrigues.
Habitat	Dense rainforest areas
Wild population	Approx. 4.000 (2003) (Red List IUCN 2011)
Zoo population	685 registered by the International Studbook, of which 645 reported to ISIS

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 77 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Vladimír Motyčka

Why do zoos keep this animal

The Rodriguez fruit bat is critically endangered in the wild. In 1974, the wild population reached an all-time low of 70 individuals. Ex situ breeding efforts were undertaken in 1976 to ensure the survival of the species. With a view of building up a long-term viable reserve population, an International Studbook was established in 1992 under the WAZA umbrella, and coordinated conservation breeding programmes are operated at the regional level by AZA and EAZA.

How this animal should be kept

Rodrigues flying-foxes may be kept in nocturnal exhibits. An enclosure for up to 20 adults should have a surface of no less than 30 m² and a height of at least 3 m. Vinyl coated wire hung on the ceiling provides toeholds for bats and will be used for a variety of behaviours including breeding, grooming, displaying, seeking food, roosting, and fleeing from aggressive encounters. Wire ceilings also promote wing walking by the bats and increases activity in the exhibit. In addition, branches and vines should be provided as perches to help keep bats' nails from overgrowing. However, there should be no points or sharp edges that could puncture wings. Perches will need to be replaced occasionally; therefore, points of attachment should be designed into the exhibit. Roosting areas such as perches, branches or boxes should be positioned so as to allow for a large flight space. Roosting structures should extend to the ground, especially if the exhibit contains solid or glass side walls. This will aid bats who are trying to move from the floor to ceiling roosting areas, as bats can exhaust and injure themselves attempting to fly up to their roost. Narrow gaps should be avoided in cage furnishings because bats can get wings wedged in the gap.

Alternatively, Rodrigues flying-foxes may be kept in greenhouse or aviary type exhibits with live plants. In this case the enclosure should be larger, e.g. 100 m², and the bats could be associated with other mammal species, such as lemurs, and various birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.

In free flight enclosures or exhibits where high ceilings make hand capture difficult, it may be beneficial to have one or several adjacent cages for management purposes.

Temperature should be maintained at 15-20ºC at night and 20-25 ºC during the day. Humidity must not fall below 55-60%.

Rodrigues flying-foxes are fed on a diet consisting of various kinds of roughly chopped fruit and vegetables, and soaked monkey pellets. Fresh drinking water must be available at all times.