Old World Fruit Bat

Old World Fruit Bat, common name for any of about 200 species of bats of the suborder Megachiroptera. Old World fruit bats are found in forests and swamps, often near coastal areas, in Africa, throughout southeast Asia, on islands of the Indian and Pacific oceans, and in Australia.

Old World fruit bats measure 17.0 to 40.6 cm (7 to 16 in) in length and weigh up to 1.3 kg (2.9 lb). The largest have wingspans of 1.7 m (5.6 ft). Most species are reddish-brown, brown, gray, or black, but others are strikingly colored, with contrasting colors on the shoulders and upper back, stripes on the body, or spectacle-like markings around the eyes. Old World fruit bats have large, well-developed eyes and a simple ear structure, and unlike most smaller bats, they rely on vision rather than echolocation to navigate during flight. Among the Old World fruit bats, only the rousette fruit bats are known to use echolocation, and then only inside their roosting caves. Tube-nosed fruit bats, which have short tubular extensions of the nostrils, are among the more unusual Old World fruit bats. Another curious species, the hammer-headed fruit bat, has a long, deep muzzle covered with many bumps and folds of skin. It has been referred to as a flying music box because it sings during its courtship displays. Male hammer-headed bats have enormously enlarged throat structures that greatly amplify their calls. A large number of Old World fruit bat species are categorized as flying foxes. Flying foxes are strong fliers that usually inhabit forests and swamps. They typically roost in trees during the day and begin feeding from fruit trees at dusk.

Old World fruit bats feed primarily on fruit pulp and juices, nectar, and pollen. They also chew leaves to obtain special nutrients from the juices. These bats play an important role in the life cycle of many tropical forest plants. About 290 plant species are known to rely, to varying degrees, on large populations of Old World fruit bats, which pollinate the plants' flowers or spread the plants' seeds. In addition to their many ecological contributions, these plants produce about 450 economically valuable products, some worth more than $100 million annually. Familiar bat-dependent products are cloves, cashew nuts, carob, balsa wood, and tequila. Wild varieties of many of our cultivated species of crop plants, including bananas, plantain, breadfruit, avocados, dates, figs, and mangoes, also rely on bats for their survival.

Old World fruit bats often congregate in trees in large, noisy groups called “camps.” Some camps once were composed of millions of individuals, but, owing to human impact, only a few large camps remain, and these are now composed of hundreds of thousands of individuals. Breeding appears to occur throughout the year, although there may be one or more peaks in reproduction associated with rainy seasons and periods when food is abundant. Typically a female bears only a single pup, but occasionally twins are born. The young remain with the female for three to four months. The longest recorded life span for an individual Old World fruit bat is 31 years and 5 months.

In some areas, large numbers of Old World fruit bats have been killed by farmers fearing damage to orchard crops. Although the bats may feed on crops during droughts, when native trees provide little food, most commercial fruit is harvested while it is still too green to attract Old World fruit bats.

The decline in the populations of Old World fruit bats has been attributed to excessive hunting, persecution by farmers, and deforestation. Some species have been hunted to extinction for food and medicinal potions. Many other species are endangered or vulnerable. Unfortunately, there is no legal protection available throughout the ranges of most of these bats.

Scientific classification: Old World fruit bats make up the family Pteropodidae, suborder Megachiroptera, order Chiroptera, class Mammalia. Rousette fruit bats make up the genus Rousettus, and flying foxes make up the genus Pteropus. Tube-nosed fruit bats make up the genera Nyctimene and Paranyctimene. The hammer-headed fruit bat is classified as Hypsignathus monstrosus.