The straw-colored fruit bat is adaptable to many habitats and lives in lowland forests and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal in the west, South Africa to the south, and Ethiopia in the east. It is an herbivore, eating wild fruits and nectar.
They are strong flyers, and have been seen at sea, 125 miles from the nearest land. In West Africa, these bats are the most-frequently eaten meat by humans.