Bulmer's fruit bat
Encyclopedia
Bulmer's fruit bat is an megabat
endemic to New Guinea
. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to habitat loss and hunting. It is the only member of the genus Aproteles.
-dweller that occurs in mid-montane forests. Its altitudinal range is at least 1800 to 2400 m (5800–7900 ft). It is probably an obligate
frugivore
. It occurs in cave-dwelling colonies.
Etymology
of the scientific name of Bulmer's fruit bat: genus name ("Aproteles") – "incomplete at the front" (Greek), a reference to the lack of lower incisors; species name ("bulmerae"), for Susan Bulmer, the archaeologist who excavated the site from which the original fossil
s were recovered (Flannery 1995).
, Papua New Guinea. It may have become extinct there about 9000 years ago. In 1975, it was discovered in the Hindenburg Wall
area of Western Province
, Papua New Guinea, in a cave known as Luplupwintem. At that time, local inhabitants described the bat as being abundant, perhaps numbering thousands of bats. However, two years later, the colony had been decimated, apparently by hunters who entered the cave with shotguns and store-bought ropes. During the 1980s, no bats were seen and it was feared that the species may have become extinct
. However, by 1993 a colony of about 160 bats was known to be living in the same cave.
A population existed in the Telefomin
region of Sandaun
Province, Papua New Guinea, as recently as 1984. The only other populations reported from recent times are from the vicinity of Herowana in Eastern Highlands Province and from the vicinity of Crater Mountain in Chimbu Province, both in Papua New Guinea (Bonaccorso 1998).
and human disturbance are the probable causes of its recent decline (Bonaccorso 1998). The colony at Luplupwintem Cave had traditionally been protected by the native people of the area, but an inflow of outside cash in the mid-1970s led to the purchase of caving equipment and guns and to the decimation of the bat colony (Nowak 1999).
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:...
endemic to New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to habitat loss and hunting. It is the only member of the genus Aproteles.
Profile
One adult female Bulmer's fruit bat weighed 600 g (1.3 lb). Bulmer's fruit bat is a caveCave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
-dweller that occurs in mid-montane forests. Its altitudinal range is at least 1800 to 2400 m (5800–7900 ft). It is probably an obligate
Obligate
Obligate means "by necessity" and is used mainly in biology in phrases such as:* Obligate aerobe, an organism that cannot survive without oxygen* Obligate anaerobe, an organism that cannot survive in the presence of oxygen...
frugivore
Frugivore
A frugivore is a fruit eater. It can be any type of herbivore or omnivore where fruit is a preferred food type. Because approximately 20% of all mammalian herbivores also eat fruit, frugivory is considered to be common among mammals. Since frugivores eat a lot of fruit they are highly dependent...
. It occurs in cave-dwelling colonies.
Etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
of the scientific name of Bulmer's fruit bat: genus name ("Aproteles") – "incomplete at the front" (Greek), a reference to the lack of lower incisors; species name ("bulmerae"), for Susan Bulmer, the archaeologist who excavated the site from which the original fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s were recovered (Flannery 1995).
History of distribution
Bulmer's fruit bat was first described from 12,000 year-old fossils found in the central highlands in Chimbu ProvinceSimbu Province
Simbu, also known as Chimbu, is a Highlands Region province in Papua New Guinea. The province has an area of 6,100 km² and a population of 259,703 . The capital of the province is Kundiawa...
, Papua New Guinea. It may have become extinct there about 9000 years ago. In 1975, it was discovered in the Hindenburg Wall
Hindenburg Range
The Hindenburg Range is a mountain range in western Papua New Guinea, stretching from the Star Mountains to the east, at about ....
area of Western Province
Western Province (Papua New Guinea)
Western Province is a coastal province in southwestern Papua New Guinea, bordering the Indonesian province of Papua. The provincial capital is Daru, on the island of Daru. The largest town in the province is Tabubil...
, Papua New Guinea, in a cave known as Luplupwintem. At that time, local inhabitants described the bat as being abundant, perhaps numbering thousands of bats. However, two years later, the colony had been decimated, apparently by hunters who entered the cave with shotguns and store-bought ropes. During the 1980s, no bats were seen and it was feared that the species may have become extinct
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
. However, by 1993 a colony of about 160 bats was known to be living in the same cave.
A population existed in the Telefomin
Telefomin
Telefomin is a station town on the border of Sandaun and Western Provinces in Papua New Guinea. The town started during the Second World War after Mick Leahy was assigned to engineer an air-strip in 1944 for the United States for use against the Imperial Japanese Army forces based in New Guinea.The...
region of Sandaun
Sandaun
Sandaun Province, officially West Sepik Province, is the north-westernmost province of Papua New Guinea. It covers an area of 36,300 km² and has a population of 185,741 . The capital is Vanimo...
Province, Papua New Guinea, as recently as 1984. The only other populations reported from recent times are from the vicinity of Herowana in Eastern Highlands Province and from the vicinity of Crater Mountain in Chimbu Province, both in Papua New Guinea (Bonaccorso 1998).
Threats and reasons for decline
HuntingHunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
and human disturbance are the probable causes of its recent decline (Bonaccorso 1998). The colony at Luplupwintem Cave had traditionally been protected by the native people of the area, but an inflow of outside cash in the mid-1970s led to the purchase of caving equipment and guns and to the decimation of the bat colony (Nowak 1999).
Biology and ecology
- Weight: One adult female Bulmer's fruit bat weighed 600 g (1.3 lb).
- Habitat: Bulmer's fruit bat is a cave-dweller that occurs in mid-montane forests. It has been found living in a cave at 2300 m (7500'). Its altitudinal range is at least 1800 - 2400 m (5800 - 7900'). Given its montane distribution, this large bat seems well adapted to cool environmental temperatures. (Bonaccorso 1998, Flannery 1995)
- Range: Bulmer's fruit occurs in the Maoke Range Alpine Heathlands Global 200 Ecoregion (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999).
- Age to Maturity: Bulmer's fruit bat is not sexually active by the beginning of its second year and probably does not breed until its third year (Flannery 1995).
- Birth Season: Births occur in April.
- Early Development: A newborn Bulmer's fruit bat is carried for the first few weeks of its life by its mother while she forages.
- Diet: Based on dental structures and its close relationship to other fruit-eating bats, Bulmer's fruit bat is probably an obligate frugivore (Bonaccorso 1998). Its diet includes figsFicusFicus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
.
- Behavior: Bulmer's fruit bat roosts in caves. The surviving bats at Luplupwintem Cave are extremely cautious. If undisturbed, they leave the cave at dusk; in the presence of people, they leave after dark. All of the bats return to the roost at around 6:00 am, before light (Flannery 1995).
- Social Organization: Bulmer's fruit bat occurs in cave-dwelling colonies.