The common ancestor of the three species colonized the region in the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene.

It is considered a medium-sized megabat, with adults weighing 80–170 g (2.8–6.0 oz) and possessing wingspans of approximately 60 cm (24 in).

[9][2] In 1870, John Edward Gray placed it in the now-defunct genus Eleutherura, treating the taxon as two species (E. unicolor and E.

[4] Danish mammalogist Knud Andersen was the first reviser of the taxon; he used Rousettus ægyptiacus and wrote that egyptiacus "may [...] be considered a slip or misprint corrected by the author himself".

[12][13] Kock also writes that since the Latin adjective for "Egyptian" is aegyptiacus, egyptiacus is a simple misspelling in the original description.

Based on an analysis of both mitochondrial and nuclear genetics, the Egyptian fruit bat forms a clade with the Madagascan and Comoro rousettes.

The Rousettus lineage colonized Africa in a single event in the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene.

[3] Males are larger than females and can be easily distinguished by their large scrotums and the prominent, stiff strands of hair around their throats.

As in all megabats, the choroid of the eye (vascular region between retina and sclera) has tiny projections known as papillae, which is where its photoreceptor cells are located.

[3] The Egyptian fruit bat is extensively dispersed across various locations and can be found throughout Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, and the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent.

Outside of its natural distribution, an Egyptian fruit bat was observed in the Greek island of Kastellorizo during a zoological expedition in 2017.

[21] Usually the Egyptian fruit bat inhabits tropical rainforests, savannas, or other forests, and tends to live in large colonies that consist of thousands of individuals in their established roosts.

[19] When no caves are nearby, it establishes roosts in cave-like human structures, such as abandoned depots and hangars.

[22] Egyptian fruit bats are ecologically important as pollinators or seed dispersers for many species of trees and plants.

The baobab tree, for instance, relies almost exclusively on fruit bats to pollinate its flowers.

[25] Females typically give birth to only a single offspring each year (called a "pup"), but twins are occasionally born, after a gestation period of around 115 to 120 days.

[3][26] Newborn Egyptian fruit bat pups are altricial at birth with their eyes shut until they are nine days old.

Internal parasites (endoparasites) are the hemosporidian Plasmodium roussetti, which causes malaria, and the roundworm Nycteridocoptes rousetti.

[29] It echolocates by emitting a series of sharp, bidirectional click pairs with its tongue and by altering teeth and lip positions.

Additionally, according to several studies, it is thought that because of their constant exposure to thousands of other individuals, they can form their own language to interact with one another about specific topics such as food.

Colonies of Egyptian fruit bats develop their own dialects, producing sounds at different frequencies.

[35] Egyptian fruit bat pups acquire the dialect of their colonies by listening to their mothers' vocalizations.

[19] In Turkey and Cyprus, farmers have poisoned Egyptian fruit bats via insecticides and pesticides.

[39]: 12–13  In the future, the AZA emphasized the need to ensure that males are rotated among facilities to promote genetic variation within the captive population.

Captive individuals are susceptible to hemochromatosis (iron overload), necessitating further research into the dietary risk factors for this condition, as well as general nutritional requirements for the Egyptian fruit bat.