ed great number of palm trees in order to facilitate their own requirements
Lesser Short-nosed Fruit Bat
The Lesser Short-nosed Fruit Bat is related to the Cynopterus brachyotis family. These types of bats usually subside in the Southern Indonesia. They weigh around 21 – 32 g (0.74 – 1.1 oz). They are typically found in the lowlands, rainforests, mangroves, gardens and tropical forests. Lesser short-nosed bats are one of the different types of bats that are brown to yellowish in color. Females are mostly yellowish as against the males. The length of the tail measures around 8 – 10 mm (0.3 – 0.4 inches), along with the 14 – 16 mm (0.5 – 0.6 inches) long ears.
The lifespan of these kinds of bats is 20 – 30 years. These bats largely feed on fruits’ juices and nectar. The period of gestation ranges from 3.5 to 4.0 months. These types of bats turn out to be mature after 1 year. They are normally found roosting in trees, rock crevice, and caves. These bats are widely distributed throughout Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Sumatra, Philippines, Thailand, Burma, China, Sri Lanka, and Kangean Islands.
Species of Lesser Short-nosed Fruit Bat
- Pachysoma brachyotis
- P. duvaucelii
- C. nusatenggara
- C. archipelagus
- C. montanoi
- C. marginatus var. andamanensis
- C. marginatus var. cuminggii
Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat
The Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bats belong to the family of Cynopterus sphinx and is endemic to South and Southeast Asia. These types of bats have a wingspan of 48 cm, and the forearm is 70.2 mm (64 – 79 mm) long. Like the lesser short nosed bats, these bats are mainly live in China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Laos. They build their habitats in subtropical forests, and grasslands.
These bats roost in a group comprising 8 – 10 individuals. The gestation period of these types of bats lasts for 4 – 5 months. The newly born chicks weigh around 13.5 grams, with a wingspan of about 24 cm. The juveniles weigh 25 grams along with a wingspan of 36 cm. Greater short-nosed fruit bats become mature after 5 – 6 months. They largely feed on guava, lychees, dates, chikoo, and bananas. These kinds of bats are considered to be nuisance for the crops. Besides, they can inflict serious diseases to humans.
Dayak Fruit Bat
The Dayak fruit bat belongs to the Dyacopterus spadiceus family and is mainly found in the Southeast Asia and Sumatra. These bats are not widespread. The average weight of dayak fruit bats is 150 grams. The size of the skull is about 36.1 mm. These types of bats primarily feed on fruits and are mostly found in the canopy of forests.
Species of Dayak Fruit Bat
- D. spadiceus
- D. brooksi
- D. rickarti
The microbats belong to the family of Microchiroptera. They mainly feed on insects. Unlike macrobats, these types of bats use echolocation to locate their prey. They do not have claw at the second toe of forelimb whereas Macrobats do have.
Most of these types of bats feed on fish, frogs, birds, lizards, and birds. The length of these flying mammals is around 4 – 16 cm.
Mexican Free-tailed Bat
The Mexican free-tailed bat belongs to the family of Tadarida brasiliensis. These types of bats are endemic to America and are widespread throughout North America. One the negative side, the population of these mammals has significantly reduced due to the habitat destruction and deforestation.
Mexican free-tailed bat measures around 9 cm (3.5 inches) by length. It weighs about 12.3 grams (0.43 oz). It has a large tail. They have big ears that help them to locate their prey efficiently. They are distributed all throughout Alabama, Utah, Nebraska, North Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia and Mississippi.
These types of bats are largely found in caves or rock crevice. They can also be found in the residential areas like buildings. These types of bats are the migratory mammals in that they travel from Utah, Southwestern Colorado towards southern California as a single unit. There are more than 1.5 million bats in the North America and they feed on more 