Rousettus madagascariensis
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The Madagascan rousette (Rousettus madagascariensis) or Madagascar rousette, is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. The Madagascan rousette is a small fruit bat, the smallest of the three fruit bats endemic to Madagascar. The upper part of their bodies have a greyish fur while the underparts have a paler grey tinge. Like many other fruit bats, Madagascan rousettes have very dog-like faces with long, pointed snouts, large, wide eyes and largely separated ears. Like some other members of the genus Rousettus, these bats reside within cave roosts, suggesting the use of echolocation. These bats are a part of a larger group of fruit bats within Rousettus which consists of 10 different species. The Madagascan rousette primarily resides on western islands of the Indian Ocean.
The habitat of the Madagascan rousette is generally found to be associated with forests. They will roost well beyond the time of twilight. Many roosts have been found within caves however some bats have been found without a known cave roost, suggesting that the Madagascan rousette...
Recording0:24
Madagascar · 2025
© dbeadle · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ankarana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Mantadia National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascan Rousette sighting in Ankarana National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 9 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascan Rousette in Ankarana National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February, April–July and December, the lowest months. That is one of Ankarana National Park's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 460 mm in January. March has too few records to rate.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Madagascan Rousette sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Madagascan Rousette sightings, Ankarana National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Mantadia National Park (Madagascar, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Madagascan Rousette is recorded against all the mammals logged in Ankarana National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
