the indian flying fox

Quite often we have special visitors to our backyard. Just that we need to keep our eyes and ears open 😯

indian flying fox, pteropus giganteus

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.

indian flying fox, pteropus giganteus

fruit bat, pteropus giganteus

Looks like a dog, eh? Nov 2007 @ home, Kottayam, Kerala, India.

fruit bats at mangalavanam, kochi

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.

fruit bats at mangalavanam, kochi

A large flock of fruitbats at the mangalavanam sanctuary, Kochi. Sept 2005.

3 Responses

  1. They visit the Polyalthia longifolia (False Ashoka or Indian Mast tree) and chepo its fruits & drop the seeds. Koels by day, foxes by night.

  1. September 18, 2009

    […] but had a hunch that they were probably coming from the Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary. After a little digging around on the web, I had an […]

Leave a Reply to Ormmakal » Blog Archive » The Indian Flying Fox Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *