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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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/

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Parched Delhi

A walk in the park (literally) brought the harsh reality of how hot Delhi has become these past few days.  A couple of friends

(Michael & Pratibha) and I went to the Garden of Five Senses at Delhi to arrange for a photo-shoot tomorrow. The temperature was about 43° C, which is the Met Dept. estimate but felt like we were walking in a furnace, or Delhi’s version of ‘Hell’.

God alone knows how the love-birds in the bushes and on the grass felt, but the birds that we saw (feathered ones) were feeling so thirsty that we really felt lousy…….

Wish there was something we can do for them, although, tomorrow,  I’m gonna talk to the guys at Garden of Five Senses and ask them if there could be pools of water for the birds in the park…… 

 

 

 

 

 

LiveJournal Tags: "Garden of Five Senses","Pratibha Singh","Michael Allen",Delhi,parched,birds

Common Lime

The Common Lime Butterfly (Papilio demoleus) is a common and widespread Swallowtail butterfly. It gets its name from its host plants which are usually citrus species such as the lime. Unlike most swallowtail butterflies it does not have a prominent tail. Other names for the butterfly include the Lemon Butterfly, the Small Citrus Butterfly, the Chequered Swallowtail and the Dingy Swallowtail.