Saturday, May 01, 2010

Indian Flying Fox

A recent visit to Mount Abu in Rajasthan was a delight as I was able to spend time observing one of the largest flying Mammals. The Indian Flying Fox is the largest bat in the world, and is found in Mount Abu.  I have taken some information that I found on a website and have given it here to help people know more about this bat.

IMG_2014The 119 species of bats found in India, are classified into two groups – large frugivorous bats ‘Megachiroptera’ and small carnivorous bats ‘Microchiroptera’.

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Most prominent among the first group is the Indian Flying Fox or Great Indian Fruit Bat which is also the largest bat in the world.

IMG_2018 The scientific name given to the Indian flying-fox is ‘Pteropus Giganteus’, which belongs to the Pteropodidae family of Megachiroptera suborder and Chiroptera order under the subclass Eutheria of Mammalia.

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The Indian flying-fox prefers tropical and subtropical forests for dwelling and lives in colonies.IMG_1983

It is nocturnal in nature, which means active in the night time and resting during day. It feeds mainly on ripe fruits which include mangoes, guavas and papayas.
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It roosts upside down like other bats and leaves the perch at night and travels in a group to a feeding site possibly more than 30 miles away. Interestingly, flying-bats fly in the same route in a queue aiming at a regular feeding station. They have the habit of establishing permanent roosting sites on large trees, even in the midst of towns.

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Its structure is comparatively large with an average length of 12 inches and a wing span of around 50 inches. Its head is usually reddish brown in colour which closely resembles that of a fox. A male adult may weigh between 3 to 4 lbs, while a female weighs nearly 2 lbs. In India, Indian flying-foxes are widely seen all over.

Text courtesy: http://birdwingtours.com/

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous3/5/10 09:55

    very nice and informative Santa. I think there is a huge colony of the fruit bats at Ranganthittu too- saw them hanging upside down on loads of trees by the water.

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  2. I would like to thank the author for his marvelous efforts. I always enjoy reading such articles.
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