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Common Name : Lesser Short-nosed Fruit Bat Distribution: Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, s China, Malaysia, Nicobar and Andaman Isls, Borneo, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Magnole, Sanana, Sanghihe Isla, talaud Isls and adjacent small island. Perhaps present in the Palawan region of the Philippines (L. Heaney, pers. comm.) Status: IUCN/SSC Action Plan (1992) - Not Threatened. IUCN 2002 - Lower Risk (lc).
The short-nosed fruit bats, of which there are nine species, are quite common throughout their range of Southeast Asia . The Lesser short-nosed fruit bat is very small - having a wingspan of only 16 inches (40cm) and weighing approximately one and one half ounces (40g). Their upper parts are typically bright orange with paler under parts, but there is much variation. Females have a gestation of 60-80 days and produce a single pup. They reach maturity at 6 months of age (males cannot reproduce till they are one year old).
The short-nosed fruit bat is a unique species in that it constructs roost tents out of the flower clusters of palms the leaves of palms, bananas and other large leaf plants. By chewing the stems and veins the leaves collapse and form well engineered roosting shelters protecting the bats from the elements and predators.
These bats are frugivorous, they and locate their preferred food items by scent. They have been described as voracious feeders, eating more than their body weight in food in one sitting. Some preferred fruits include ripe guava, banana, chikus (a popular Indian fruit crop), dates and lichens. In the wild, the short-nosed fruit bat feed on fruits and nectar. In captivity they are fed a variety of fruits, nectar, fruit juice and "Lubee's fruit bat supplement."
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