Fruit bats in flight: a look into the movements of the ecologically important Eidolon helvum in Tanzania.
Nistara RandhawaBrian H BirdElizabeth VanWormerZikankuba SijaliChristopher KilonzoAlphonce MsigwaAbel B EkiriAziza SamsonJonathan H EpsteinDavid J WolkingWoutrina A SmithBeatriz Martínez-LópezRudovick KazwalaJonna A K MazetPublished in: One health outlook (2020)
Because we observed multiple interactions of animals with fruits discarded by bats, specifically with vervet monkeys, the possibility of disease spillover risk exists via this indirect pathway. With flight distances of up to 97 km, however, the role of E. helvum in the seed dispersal of plants across both protected and urban built-up areas in Tanzania may be even more important, especially by helping connect increasingly fragmented landscapes during this Anthropocene epoch.
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