Egyptian Fruit Bat Colony Cam

The Bat Lab at Tel Aviv University

This camera streams from the Bat Lab for Neuro-Ecology, a renowned research group at Tel Aviv University studying the cognition, navigation and social lives of bats. The colony roosts in a controlled indoor enclosure, letting viewers watch wild behaviour up close without disturbing the animals.

Meet the Egyptian Fruit Bat

The Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) is a medium-sized fruit bat native to Africa and the Middle East. Unlike most fruit bats, it uses a form of tongue-click echolocation to orient in darkness, making it a key species for understanding mammalian navigation and vocal communication.

Social Life on Camera

Fruit bats are highly social, and the feed often captures grooming, jostling for roost space and the constant rustle of wings. Their faces, large eyes and clinging feet are clearly visible against the ventilation grille they favour as a perch.

A Window into Wildlife Science

Beyond its charm, the stream is an educational and outreach tool that brings cutting-edge neuro-ecology research to a global audience, showing how scientists observe wild mammals to decode the brain and behaviour we share with them.