Horsfield's fruit bat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Horsfield's fruit bat |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Cynopterus
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| Species: |
horsfieldii
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| Horsfield's fruit bat range | |
The Horsfield's fruit bat (Cynopterus horsfieldii) is a type of large bat found in Southeast Asia. It's named after Thomas Horsfield, an American scientist who first showed this bat to the world.
Contents
What They Look Like
Horsfield's fruit bats are medium-sized bats. They are bigger than tiny pygmy fruit bats but smaller than huge flying foxes. Adult bats usually weigh about 55 to 60 grams. That's about the weight of a small apple!
Their fur is light grey to brown. They have a reddish-brown or orange patch around their shoulders. This patch is called a "mantle." In some male bats, this mantle can spread across their chest. Males often have brighter fur colors than females. The edges of their ears are white. The skin on their wings, over their hand bones, is also white. Young bats have duller fur that is a plain buff or grey color.
These bats have a short, wide nose. Their nostrils look almost like small tubes. Both their eyes and ears are large. However, their ears are simpler than those of most other bats. They do not have a small flap inside the ear called a tragus. Their wings are wide and short. This means they fly relatively slowly. They can also turn and move well in the air.
Where They Live
Horsfield's fruit bats live in several countries in Southeast Asia. You can find them in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.
They live in many different lowland places. These include thick rain forests. They also live in farm areas and even in gardens near towns.
There are four main types, or subspecies, of Horsfield's fruit bat:
- C. h. harpax - Found in Thailand, peninsular Malaysia, and Sumatra.
- C. h. horsfieldii - Found on Java and islands to the east, up to Sumbawa.
- C. h. persimilis - Found on Borneo.
- C. h. princeps - Found on Nias island.
What They Eat and How They Live
Horsfield's fruit bats mostly eat fruit. They enjoy fruits from strangler fig trees. They also eat fruits from Elaeocarpus and Payena plants. Sometimes, they eat the flowers of bitter bean trees. They are known to pick fruit from trees. Then, they carry it to their roosting spots to eat it there.
During the dry season, fruit can be hard to find. When this happens, they eat pollen instead. They get pollen from many different kinds of plants.
These bats live in small groups. Each group usually has one adult male. It also has up to five females and their young. These groups stay together all year. However, female bats often move between different groups. Sometimes, a female might even live alone for a while. This happens when she leaves one group and before she joins another.
They rest and sleep in trees and at the entrances of caves. They seem to like banana trees a lot for their roosts. They often change their roosting spots. They do this by making "tents" from leaves. They partly cut the leaves to make an upside-down "V" shape. This helps them stay hidden and safe.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Horsfield's fruit bats can have babies throughout the year. But they usually give birth during two main times. These are between February and March, and again between July and August. Scientists have seen these bats live for at least 31 months.
