the indian flying fox
Quite often we have special visitors to our backyard. Just that we need to keep our eyes and ears open đŻ
This is a fruit bat, the indian flying fox, pteropus giganteus, which must have strayed off from its flight path, in search of nectar from the banana blossoms.
Bats of the genus pteropus (known as fruit bats or flying foxes) are the largest bats in the world. They feed on nectar, pollen and fruits. They don’t have the echolocation characteristcs which their relatives – the microbats have. Compensating for that, they have a better developed olfactory perception (smelling ability) and eyesight. They also use their claws effectively, as you can see in the picture, for moving from branch to branch or grabbing its food. Probably a lot of plants and trees depend on such fruit bats for their pollination and propagation.
Looks like a dog, eh? Nov 2007 @ home, Kottayam, Kerala, India.
1, 2, 3, GO! Sept 2005 @ mangalavanam sanctuary, Kochi, Kerala, India. The sanctuary is a host to a variety of migratory birds, mangroves and mangrove life and fruit bats too.
A large flock of fruitbats at the mangalavanam sanctuary, Kochi. Sept 2005.
They visit the Polyalthia longifolia (False Ashoka or Indian Mast tree) and chepo its fruits & drop the seeds. Koels by day, foxes by night.
thanks for the detailed information, ashwin!