Pohle’s fruit bat  (Scotonycteris ophiodon)

Pohle's fruit bat is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List (1).

A relatively little-known bat, Pohle’s fruit bat (Scotonycteris ophiodon) has russet, rust brown or dark brown fur, which is paler on the underside. Around the eyes are patches of white fur, and one individual has been found with yellow spots behind its eyes (2). Pohle’s fruit bat belongs to the Pteropodidae family: a group of bats also known as flying foxes, which have dog-like faces with large eyes and simple, widely separated ears (3).

Pohle’s fruit bat is known from only a few locations in Liberia, Ghana, Cameroon, Republic of Congo and Côte d'Ivoire (1).

Pohle’s fruit bat inhabits moist lowland forest (1), mostly between 1,000 and 1,200 metres above sea level (2).

This nocturnal mammal is thought to be a solitary bat, which inhabits trees and feeds continuously during hours of darkness (2). In captivity, Pohle’s fruit bat has fed on fruit such as bananas, guavas and plantains. Females seem to be the more active and the more vocal sex, emitting a high-pitched whistle throughout the night (2).

The available data indicate that most female Pohle’s fruit bats are pregnant during August and September, but there may also be a second breeding period at the end of the year. A single young is born at a time (2).

Pohle’s fruit bat is known from only a few locations, areas where the forest is being degraded or lost to agriculture, mining and logging (1). This habitat destruction is suspected to have reduced numbers of Pohle’s fruit bat. Populations are predicted to continue to decline in the future, making this fruit bat at risk from extinction (1).

Pohle’s fruit bat is known to occur in at least one protected area, the Taï National Park in Côte d’Ivoire (1) (4), but further measures, including the management of existing protected areas, have been recommended by IUCN (1).

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.