season is from October to February. When the breeding season begins, the bats within the colony separate based on sex. The males gather together to form bachelor groups while the females form maternity colonies. Female bats have control over copulation; therefore, to increase the chances of mating, male Egyptian fruit bats will provide a nuptial gift to the female bat. The nuptial gifts are fruits that the male allows the female to scrounge. By allowing the female to scrounge, it strengthens the bond between the pair, thus increasing the probability of the female copulating with a given male. 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. Newborn Egyptian fruit bat pups are altricial at birth with their eyes shut until they are nine days old. The female carries the pup until it is six weeks old, which is when it can hang in the roost on its own. Afterwards, the pup is left in the roost while the mother forages. Before the pup is left in the roost, the mother repeatedly transports the pup to the same tree and is left there for the night while the mother forages. The pup learns this location and visits it first when at about three months of age, the pup will leave the roost on its own to forage for its food. They only become independent from their mothers after nine months, once they have finally reached their adult physique. Offspring typically stay with the same colony as the parents for their entire lives. In the wild, the average lifespan of the Egyptian fruit bat ranges from 8 to 10 years, while in captivity its lifespan is about 22 years with proper care. The significant difference between the lifespan of Egyptian fruit bats in the wild versus ones in captivity is mostly because of the wild bats’ increased exposure to predation and vitamin D deficiency. Predators and parasites The Egyptian fruit bat has several avian predators, including hawks, owls, and falcons, specifically the lanner falcon. A mammalian predator is the genet. External parasites (ectoparasites) of the Egyptian fruit bat include parasitic mites like Spinturnix lateralis, Liponyssus, and several Ancystropus species. Others parasitic taxa are flies like Eucampsipoda, Nycteribosca, and Nycteribia. Fleas that parasitize it include Archaeopsylla and Thaumapsylla, and it has also