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short nosed Indian fruit bat_Kissing to food

short nosed Indian fruit bat_hide and seek

Skills: Indian fruit bats life study
Client:Save Tree Save Life Society
Website: www.savetreesavelife.org

Project Description

The greater short-nosed fruit bat, also known as the short-nosed Indian fruit bat (scientifically referred to as Cynopterus sphinx), is a fascinating megabat found in South and Southeast Asia. Let’s delve into some intriguing details about this winged creature:

Appearance and Characteristics:
- These bats sport a relatively long snout.
- Their upper parts exhibit shades of brown to grey-brown, while their underparts are paler.
- The fur is fine and silky.
- Notably, the ears and wing bones of C. sphinx have white edges.
- Adult bats have a wingspan of about 48 cm (19 inches), and juveniles are lighter in color.
- The average forearm length is approximately 70.2 mm (2.76 inches) ¹.
Habitat and Distribution:
- The greater short-nosed fruit bat is found from Pakistan to Vietnam.
- It thrives in tropical forests, areas with cultivated fruit crops, grasslands, and mangrove forests.
- These bats often nest high in palm trees, where they construct fairly simple tents by chewing the fronds of the palms.
- In the absence of palms, they ingeniously weave leaves and twigs of creeping vines to create makeshift nests ¹.
Behavior and Breeding:
- These bats are gregarious, forming same-sex groups of eight to nine individuals during roosting.
- During the mating season, group size increases, and they become polygynous.
- Fellatio (yes, you read that right!) plays a role in enhancing copulation time. Females lick the male’s penis base, while the penis remains inserted.
- Postcopulation genital grooming is also observed.
- The adult sex ratio is female-biased, attributed to the faster maturation of females.
- In Central India, C. sphinx breeds twice a year, producing a single offspring each time ¹.