2024/12/02 by Ara Monadjem, Cecilia Montauban, Paul W. Webala +8 · 3 voices · 20 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Bat Biology and Ecology Studies #Biodiversity #Biology #Computer science #Conservation status #Data science #Database #Ecology #Geography #Habitat #IUCN Red List #Occupancy #Resource (disambiguation) #Species Distribution and Climate Change #Taxonomy (biology) #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/s41597-024-04170-7
published in Scientific Data 11(1), 1309 (Nature Portfolio)
openalex publication_date 2024/12/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Accurate knowledge of species distributions is foundational for effective conservation efforts. Bats are a diverse group of mammals, with important roles in ecosystem functioning. However, our understanding of bats and their ecological importance is hindered by poorly defined ranges, mostly as a result of under-recording. This issue is exacerbated in Africa by the ongoing rapid discovery of new species, both de novo and splits of existing species, and by inaccessibility to museum specimens that are mostly hosted outside of the continent. Here we present the African bat database - a curated set of 17,285 unique locality records of all 266 species of bats from sub-Saharan Africa, vouched for by specimens and/or genetic sequencing, and aligned with current taxonomy. Based on these records, we also present Maxent-based distribution models and calculate the IUCN Red List metrics for Extent of Occurrence and Area of Occupancy. This database and online visualization tool provide an important open-source resource and is expected to significantly advance studies in ecology, and aid in bat conservation.