There are two sub species to the bats, the Mega and the Micro bats. There are 921 species and there are near a millions of bats all around the globe. The bat species can consume thousands of pounds of insects every night. They are very helpful in keeping the insect population under control. Bats live in colonies and baby bats are called pups. 

The Black-Capped Fruit Bat known by the scientific name Chironax Melanocephalus are part of the Mega Bats species, even though they can be smaller than some of the Micro Bats.  They got their name because they are mostly brown with a black circle on the tops of their heads.  They are approximately 16 inches in length with a wingspan of 4.9 feet, and weigh in around 2.2 lbs.  They have adapted for flight with extra flaps of skin that help them glide.

         
Black-Capped Fruit Bats are found in low land mixed dipterocarp forests and from understory of mixed beach forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. They normally roost in small groups in tree ferns and in shallow caves. They are considered a “least concerned” on the conservation list due to their numbers not being low enough to be considered endangered.  Their habitat loss is a threat to them since it is usually not found in disturbed forest. Deforestation is occurring throughout its range for logging, agriculture and plantations, and as a result of fires. But since they can fly they can continue to grow in population.

       
They are nocturnal animals that eat fruits, insects and require very little water.  They can crush their fruit with their wings and suck the juice with their tongues. The Black Capped Fruit bat can fly long distances and don’t even have to stop for water; they just fly low and collect it on their bellies.  Then stop to lick it off. They can catch their food in mid air. They compete with other nocturnal animals for their meals such as raccoons and skunks.

       
The thing that stood out to me while working on this research is that the fruit bats don’t eat the whole fruit they just suck the juice out. I also learned that owls and hawks eat the bats. I can’t imagine what it would be like not to have the Black-Capped Bat.

 

Author: Milenko S

Published: 05/2012

 

Sources:   
wikipedia.org
Ask.com
http://www.batworld.org