Philippine bare-backed fruit bat
Encyclopedia
The Philippine Naked-backed Fruit Bat or Philippine bare-backed fruit bat (Dobsonia chapmani) is a megabat
that lives on Negros Island and Cebu Island
in the Philippines
. Like other bare-backed fruit bats, its wing
s meet along the midline of their bodies, making it a very agile flier. It roosted in cave
s, in areas where a little light penetrated the gloom. It was so abundant that it left piles of guano
, which were used by miners as fertiliser.
By the mid-1980s, the lowland forest was replaced by sugar cane plantations and the bat vanished. In the early 1970s the species was declared extinct as none had been sighted since 1964 but the bat was rediscovered in 2000. The species now survives in very small numbers. The bat lives in caves but comes out at night to eat fruit from local rainforest. After the forests were cut down to make way for sugar plantations the bat population dropped drastically and the few remaining ones are still hunted for their meat. Now the bats reside in the few areas of forest left and if these are cut down the species is likely to go extinct. The forest where the bats live in Cebu
is slightly protected in that it cannot be cut down but on Negros
there are no conservation measures in place. Unless more is done about the situation the species is likely to become extinct.
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:...
that lives on Negros Island and Cebu Island
Cebu Island
Cebu is an island of the Philippines. It is the main island of Cebu Province at the center of the Visayan Islands, south of Manila.It lies to the east of Negros Island; to the east is Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol Island. It is flanked on both sides by the Cebu Strait and Tañon Strait...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Like other bare-backed fruit bats, its wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
s meet along the midline of their bodies, making it a very agile flier. It roosted in cave
Cave
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...
s, in areas where a little light penetrated the gloom. It was so abundant that it left piles of guano
Guano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
, which were used by miners as fertiliser.
By the mid-1980s, the lowland forest was replaced by sugar cane plantations and the bat vanished. In the early 1970s the species was declared extinct as none had been sighted since 1964 but the bat was rediscovered in 2000. The species now survives in very small numbers. The bat lives in caves but comes out at night to eat fruit from local rainforest. After the forests were cut down to make way for sugar plantations the bat population dropped drastically and the few remaining ones are still hunted for their meat. Now the bats reside in the few areas of forest left and if these are cut down the species is likely to go extinct. The forest where the bats live in Cebu
Cebu
Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
is slightly protected in that it cannot be cut down but on Negros
Negros
Negros is an island of the Philippines located in the Visayas, at . It is the third largest island in the country, with a land area of 13,328 km²...
there are no conservation measures in place. Unless more is done about the situation the species is likely to become extinct.