By Josie February 13th, 2023
Bats are the only mammals that are able to fly.
As one would guess, fruit bats are so named because they eat fruits or parts of plants.
The fossil record of the fruit bat indicate that they evolved more than 30 million years ago.
Pteropodidae is their scientific name, derived from the Latin words that mean “wing foot.”
They have large eyes, a canine-like face, simple erect ears, and upper and lower canine teeth.
Moreover, they have a tick coat of fur and the ability to produce milk; their wing membranes have extended flans of skin.
Fruit bats are the most significant bats in the world.
On average, their wingspan is about 5.5 feet, roughly the height of an adult person.
Large fruit bats have narrower and longer wings that enable them to fly for a long time over a long distance.
Most fruit bat species are nocturnal; they come out at night between dusk and dawn.
Social in nature, these flying mammals usually stay in groups and move like a family.
They live in large groups, sometimes reaching up to 200,000 individuals.
If there are a lot of seasonal rains, they move to other areas, but if the showers are few, these animals stay on the same rooting sites.
Fruit bats migrate according to changes in season.
More than half of fruit bats live in trees, while others roost in rocks, bushes, caves, and buildings.
They can stay there for decades without altering their position or location if undisturbed.
Predators like snakes, owls, or eagles may destroy their roosting sites and food sources.
Farmers shoot or give poison to bats to prevent them from raiding crops and overhunting their crops.
They enjoy most fruits, including bananas, mangoes, figs, dates, avocadoes, and guava
They use their needle-sharp teeth to bite off a piece of fruit and then squish it on the roof of their mouth so they can get all the juice out of it, then they spit out the rest.
They can detect the distance of various objects with the help of sound waves bouncing back to them - this is called "echolocation."
They can smell fruits and food even though they are over 3 miles away.