Blanford's Fruit Bat
Encyclopedia
Blanford's Fruit Bat is a mountain
species of megabat
. The only recording of it was from the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park
in Chiengmai, Thailand. According to Lekagul and McNeely (1977), the species is confined to the Thai-Burmese border, Uttar Pradesh
in India
and eastern Nepal
.
and three female
S. blanfordi were netted in a secondary habitat at 1020 m elevation. In May 1997, an adult female was lactating, two immature female fledglings and a subadult were observed at Doi Suthep. The bats were found in the nets the morning, presumably caught between the last net check at midnight and dawn. All S. blanfordi were caught approximately 0.8 m to 1.5 m above the ground. One site had about 50% canopy cover, relatively dense undergrowth with saplings and the net was set across a fire break on a slope. The other catching site had about 90% canopy cover, relatively sparse undergrowth with some seedlings, ginger
and Pandanus
plants. The net was set between two clumps of banana plants on a slope. During the survey, the night temperature was cool (approximately 20oC) and misty around daybreak. There is little ecological information recorded for this species (Lekagul and McNeely 1977).
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
species of megabat
Megabat
Megabats constitute the suborder Megachiroptera, family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera . They are also called fruit bats, old world fruit bats, or flying foxes.-Description:...
. The only recording of it was from the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park is located in Chiang Mai Province, in northern Thailand. Established in 1981, it is an IUCN Category II protected area measuring . The mountain Doi Suthep is within the park....
in Chiengmai, Thailand. According to Lekagul and McNeely (1977), the species is confined to the Thai-Burmese border, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and eastern Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
.
Biology and ecology
A maleMale
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
and three female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
S. blanfordi were netted in a secondary habitat at 1020 m elevation. In May 1997, an adult female was lactating, two immature female fledglings and a subadult were observed at Doi Suthep. The bats were found in the nets the morning, presumably caught between the last net check at midnight and dawn. All S. blanfordi were caught approximately 0.8 m to 1.5 m above the ground. One site had about 50% canopy cover, relatively dense undergrowth with saplings and the net was set across a fire break on a slope. The other catching site had about 90% canopy cover, relatively sparse undergrowth with some seedlings, ginger
Ginger
Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
and Pandanus
Pandanus
Pandanus is a genus of monocots with about 600 known species. They are numerous palmlike dioecious trees and shrubs native of the Old World tropics and subtropics. They are classified in the order Pandanales, family Pandanaceae.-Overview:...
plants. The net was set between two clumps of banana plants on a slope. During the survey, the night temperature was cool (approximately 20oC) and misty around daybreak. There is little ecological information recorded for this species (Lekagul and McNeely 1977).