Description
Bat, Lesser short-nosed fruit bat, half skeleton, half skin mounted in a Black Wooden Frame. You will receive this specimen, or one like it.
The frame measures 8″x8″x2″ deep.
The lesser short-nosed fruit bat, is a species of megabat widely distributed across Southeast Asia, including Indonesia. Here’s an overview focused on its characteristics, habitat, behavior, and ecological role, especially within the Indonesian context.
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🦇 General Information
- Scientific Name: Cynopterus brachyotis
- Common Name: Lesser short-nosed fruit bat
- Family: Pteropodidae (fruit bats or flying foxes)
- Size: Small for a fruit bat, with a wingspan of around 48–60 cm and body length of 8–13 cm.
- Weight: Typically around 25–50 grams.
🌴 Habitat in Indonesia
- Found in a wide range of habitats: forests, gardens, plantations, and even urban areas.
- Prefers lowland tropical forests but is highly adaptable.
- Roosts in trees, palm fronds, banana leaves, and sometimes in man-made structures like house roofs or sheds.
🍌 Diet
- Frugivorous: Primarily eats fruits, especially figs, bananas, mangoes, guavas, and papayas.
- Also consumes flower nectar and pollen, playing a role in pollination.
🌼 Ecological Role
- Pollinator and seed disperser: Vital for maintaining tropical forest ecosystems.
- Helps with regeneration of degraded forests by dispersing seeds across large areas.
- Especially important in Indonesia’s fragmented landscapes and agroforestry systems.
👨👩👧👦 Social Behavior
- Lives in small to medium-sized groups (colonies).
- Males often establish harems—groups of females they mate with.
- Roosts communally during the day and forages at night (nocturnal).
🛑 Conservation Status
- IUCN Red List: Listed as Least Concern due to wide distribution and adaptability.
- However, local populations may be affected by:
- Deforestation
- Urban expansion
- Hunting (less common than for larger fruit bats)
🧬 Notable Features
- Uses a combination of vision and smell for navigation and foraging, rather than echolocation (unlike insectivorous bats).
- Has a short, broad snout, hence the name “short-nosed.”
- Often seen flying at dusk or just after sunset.
Bat, Small Lesser Bamboo Bat semi spread and mounted in a Black Wooden Frame
