Phylum Chordata
> Subphylum Vertebrata > Class Mammalia |
Lesser dog-faced fruit bat
Cynopterus brachyotis
Family Pteropodidae
updated
Oct 2016
Where
seen? This small bat with a dog-like face is among our
most commonly seen bats. According to Baker, it is widespread and
common even in urban areas. According to Nowak, they are found in
forests and open country.
Features:
Forearm length about 6.5cm. It has white wing bones and white
ear edges. A small bat with a long muzzle without an elaborate 'nose
leaf'. Instead, it has prominent tubular nostrils. Together with large
eyes, it has a dog-like face. It is sometimes called the Lesser Dog-faced
fruit bat and Lesser Short-nosed fruit bat. Generally brown, the male
has a reddish collar while the female has a yellowish collar.
Several bats (6-12) may roost together. Sometimes under Bird's
nest ferns (Asplenium nidus) creating a sheltered area
by chewing off some of the inner portions of the 'skirt' of dead leaves
under the fern. They also create a shelter out of a palm leaf by biting
the ribs of so portions of the leaf droop to form an umbrella. They
even shelter in buildings.
What does it eat? It eats fruits
and drinks nectar. A fruit bat may travel nearly 100km in a single
night to feed on fruiting trees such as palms, figs, guavas, bananas,
mangoes. As well as on flowers. These fruit bats drink the juice of
the fruits, instead of eating the pulp. That is, they mash the fruits
in their mouth, drink the juice and spit out the pulp. Thus, they
are kind of like flying fruit juicers. But they do swallow small fruits
and thus help disperse the seeds of many pioneer forest trees.
Baby
bats: Mama bat gives birth to one young which weighs
about 11gms at birth. She carries her young with her all the
time, even as she flies, for about 45-50 days.
Status and threats: It
is not listed among our threatened animals.
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Sungei
Buloh Wetland Reserve, Sep
03
Sungei
Buloh Wetland Reserve, Sep 03
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Lesser dog-faced fruit bats on Singapore shores |
Links
References
- Baker, Nick
and Kelvin Lim. 2008. Wild
Animals of Singapore: A Photographic Guide to Mammals, Reptiles,
Amphibians and Freshwater Fishes
Vertebrate Study Group, Nature Society (Singapore). 180 pp.
- Nowak, Ronald
M. 1994. Walker's
Bats of the WorldThe Johns Hopkins University Press. 287 pp.
- Francis,
Charles M. 2001. Mammals
of South-East Asia
New Holland Publishers. 128 pp.
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