Short-nosed Indian fruit bat, Short-nosed indian fruit bat
The greater short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx ), or short-nosed Indian fruit bat, is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae found in South and Southeast Asia.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
In zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Greater short-nosed fruit bat is a species of megabat found in South and Southeast Asia. These bats have a relatively long snout. Their upper parts are brown to grey-brown with paler underparts. The fur is very fine and silky. The ears and wing bones are edged in white. Lower cheek teeth rounded without accessory cusps. Juveniles are lighter than adults.
Greater short-nosed fruit bats occur from Pakistan to Vietnam. They inhabit tropical forests and areas where fruit crops are cultivated. They can also be found in grasslands, mangrove forests, and urban areas.
Greater short-nosed fruit bats are gregarious and typically roost in same-sex groups of 8 to 9 individuals. The males and females remain separate until the mating season when group size increases. These bats are known to construct shelter tents by severing leaves and stems from certain creepers and mast trees. They are active at night and locate their preferred food items by scent. Greater short-nosed fruit bats have been described as voracious feeders because they eat more than their body weight in food in one sitting.
Greater short-nosed fruit bats are herbivores (frugivores). Some of their preferred fruits include ripe guava, banana, chikoo, dates, and lychees. In addition, these bats exhibit geophagy behavior which has the function of mineral supplementation and/or detoxification.
Greater short-nosed fruit bats are polygynous and 6-10 males and 10-15 females usually share palm-frond tents during the breeding season. Males stay with females for some time after mating but later return to same-sex groups. Greater short-nosed fruit bats typically nest high in palm trees. They chew the fronds of the palms to construct fairly simple tents. They may also construct tents by closely interweaving the leaves and twigs of creeping vines that cover buildings, but such nests are constructed only when palms are not available. In Central India, these bats breed twice per year and females produce a single pup at a time. The first pregnancy cycle occurs from October through February/March and a second offspring is usually born in July. The gestation period is about 3-5 months. Newborn pups weigh about 13.5 g and have a wingspan of 24 cm. By the time of weaning at 4 weeks of age, they weigh 25 g and have wings spanning 36 cm. Female Short-nosed fruit bats reach reproductive maturity at 5-6 months of age, but males are not capable of breeding until they are one year old.
There are no major threats to Greater short-nosed fruit bats at present. However, in some parts of their range, they suffer from deforestation due to logging, expansion of agriculture, and developmental activities. These bats are also hunted for medicinal purposes, for food, and as pests.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Greater short-nosed fruit bats total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are increasing.
Greater short-nosed fruit bats inflict serious damage on many fruit crops and are considered pests. These bats, however, are important dispersers of date palm seeds and pollinate many night-blooming flowers.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...