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Text and photos by
Nick Baker, unless otherwise stated

 EcologyAsia 2010
Copyright ©

 
 
   

 

 
   
Cave Nectar Bat
   

Feeding on nectar from the flowers of a Banana plant.


Cave Nectar Bats huddle closely together when roosting.
 

This roost in Singapore has around 500 bats.
 

Cave Nectar Bats roost in large, noisy colonies of hundreds or thousands.  Travelling many kilometres each night in search of the nectar of flowering trees and shrubs, this species is an important pollinator of fruit trees such as durian, the 'king of fruits'.

The dorsal fur is grey-brown and the ventral medium grey.  Around the neck the fur can be tinged yellowish-brown. The muzzle is dog-like in shape, and its tongue is long and probing.

The species ranges from northern India to southern China, and throughout Southeast Asia to Sumatra, Java and Borneo.  In Singapore the species seems to have adapted well to leafy, semi-urban habitats.

 

Order : CHIROPTERA
Family : Pteropodidae
Species : Eonycteris spelaea

Forearm Length : up to 7.0cm
Weight : up to 6.0 grams

References : M1, M2