<b>Foraging and roosting ecology of the Lesser Dog-faced Fruit Bat <I>Cynopterus brachyotis</I> (Mammalia: Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) in southern India</b>

Abstract

The Lesser Dog-faced Fruit Bat Cynopterus brachyotis was found at higher elevations but since there is a paucity of reports on its distribution and habitat selection, an inventory was made at four locations in the Eastern and Western Ghats of southern India where the elevation ranged from 200–1,500 m. The C. brachyotis roosts were distributed between 600–1,500 m. Day roosts were found at an elevation of about 1,000m in Sirumalai and Yercaud Hill stations. Mist-netting studies, however, revealed that C. brachyotis was widely distributed at different elevations ranging from 600–1,500 m. Moreover, through a radio-telemetry study, we determined that the males foraged at shorter distances from the day roost, whereas the females commuted longer distances and used more than one foraging area. The male bats’ time of emergence is significantly less than females; in addition, males frequently return to their day-roost and made several short foraging flights spaced randomly throughout the night. These observations suggest that some type of territoriality is associated with their roost, which appears to be the basis of social organization in C. brachyotis. Overall, this study provides detailed information about the foraging and roosting ecology of C. brachyotis in southern India.