Scotophilus dinganii
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The African yellow bat (Scotophilus dinganii) is a species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae, the vesper bats. Other common names include African yellow house bat, yellow-bellied house bat, and Dingan's Bat. It is one of fifteen species in the genus Scotophilus.
The African yellow bat is a medium sized, rather attractive bat with a dog-like snout. It is light brown above with a yellow belly, its eyes are clearly visible and its snout is short and broad. The wings vary in colour and may be olive, grey or red while the interfemoral membrane is brown and translucent. The total body length averages 130 mm (5.1 in), the forearm length is 50–58 mm (2.0–2.3 in) and its average weight is 23 g (0.81 oz).
The African yellow bat is native to Sub-Saharan Africa, where it occurs from Senegal and Gambia east to Djibouti, Eritrea, and Somalia south to South Africa, where they reach the Eastern Cape. This species lives in savanna habitat, and it can be found near human habitation, where it roosts in houses. It may roost singly or in small colonies.
African yellow bats mate in the Austral Autumn in southern Africa and then give birth... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an African Yellow Bat sighting in Kruger National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 57th most-seen of the 60 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Yellow Bat in Kruger National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–September and November–March, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Yellow Bat sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Kruger National Park, in our data
Kruger National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate African Yellow Bat sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Yellow Bat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Kruger National Park (5 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.
