THE FRUIT EATING BATS OF CEEBROS GARDENS,VIRUGAMBAKKAM PART 1
HI ALL ...... I AM GOING TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE FRUIT EATING BATS OF CEEBROS GARDENS, VIRUGAMBAKKAM ,CHENNAI,INDIA.
WELL..........A BAT IS A BAT IS A BAT.TRUE? NO NOT TRUE. I HEAR THERE ARE ABOUT 1200 SPECIES OF BATS IN THIS WORLD.
THE SMALLEST BAT IS THE INDIANA BAT AND THE BUMBLEBEE BAT MEASURING ABOUT 1" TO 2" AND WEIGHING ONE QUARTER OUNCES.THE COLOUR MAYBE BROWN,GREY OR BLACK. I AM NOT SURE,BUT I THINK OUR CEEBROS GARDENS BATS ARE BUMBLE BEE BATS.VERY FLUFFY,TIMID AND FRUIT EATING.
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| CEEBROS GARDENS ,VIRUGAMBAKKAM |
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| BABY BATS UNDER THE WINGS OF MAMA BAT |
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| THE TINY BATS OF CEEBROS GARDENS |
AND THE LARGEST BAT IS THE GIANT GOLDEN CROWNED FLYING FOX THAT WEIGHS ABOUT 3 POUNDS AND WITH A WING SPAN OF ALMOST 5 FEET AND WHEN CLINGING FROM THE BRANCH OF A TREE,THEY HAVE THEIR WINGS CLOSED AROUND THE BODY LIKE A CLOAK.
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| AN INDIAN FLYING FOX. |
THE BATS ARE FLYING MAMMALS AND CONSTITUTE ABOUT ONE THIRD OF THE MAMMAL POPULATION IN THE WORLD.THEY BREED IN THE SPRING AND THE FEMALE BAT DELIVERS A LITTER OF ONE TO THREE BAT OFFSPRING.
BAT WINGS ARE MADE OF CARTILAGE AND FORM A WEB LIKE STRUCTURE .THEY VARY WITH THE DIRECTION OF WIND AND SPEED.THE BONES ARE LIKE THOSE OF HUMANS BUT THEY ARE MUCH MORE FLEXIBLE.THE WINGS ARE ACTUALLY THE FORE LIMBS AND THE BATS HAVE TWO SHARP CLAWS FOR HOLDING ONTO TREE BRANCHES OR OTHER OBJECTS WHILE HANGING.
BAT CLAWS
THE COMMONEST VARIETIES OF BATS ARE :
1. THE FRUIT BAT OR THE MEGABAT SOMETIMES KNOWN AS THE FLYING FOX.THESE BATS VARY IN SIZE AND ARE COMMON TO ALL LOCATIONS. THE EGYPTIAN FRUIT BAT MEASURES 6"AND HAS A WING SPAN OF 2' .THE FRUIT BATS OF KERALA CREATED QUITE A STIR RECENTLY WITH THE NIPAH VIRUS OUTBREAK.
MEGABAT EATING ORANGE
2.INDIANA BAT AND THE BUMBLEBEE BATS ARE THE SMALLEST.
3.VAMPIRE BATS WITH A MUZZLE .
VAMPIRE BAT
6.THE VERY RARE GIANT GOLDEN CROWNED FLYING FOX.
GIANT GOLDEN CROWNED FLYING FOX
THE BATS CAN ADAPT TO ALL SORTS OF ENVIRONMENT BUT PREFER TO LIVE IN TREES AND DARK CAVES.NEAR WATER SINCE THEY NEED TO DRINK WATER AND FIND PLENTY OF FOOD. 70 % BATS ARE CARNIVOROUS AND FEED ON INSECTS AND BUGS.THE VAMPIRE BATS FEED MAINLY ON CATTLE BLOOD.
VAMPIRE BAT FEEDING ON CATTLE BLOOD
30% BATS ARE FRUGIVOROUS OR NECTARIOVAROUS MEANING THEY EAT FRUITS OR NECTAR.
THE BATS HAVE LONG TONGUES WHICH ARE WOUND ROUND THE BODY WHEN NOT IN USE.
THE EYES OF SOME BATS ARE VERY LARGE.SOME BATS CAN NOT SEE CLEARLY AND DEPEND UPON THEIR SMELL SENSE AND ECHOLOCATION TO FIND AND HUNT THEIR PREY.AND SOME BATS CAN SEE OBJECTS AT A LONG DISTANCE AND CAN EVEN DETECT ULTRA VIOLET RAYS.
ECHOLOCATION IS A PROCESS BY WHICH BATS CAN SENSE AND FIND PREY IN THE DARK.
THE BATS ARE HELPFUL IN POLLINATION AND PLAY A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN IT.
BUT THEY CAN BE DANGEROUS TOO SINCE THEY ARE PRONE TO RABIES AND OTHER INFECTIONS.IMAGINE THE HARMLESS FRUIT EATING BATS SPREADING RABIES AND OTHER INFECTIONS.BUT THIS IS MAINLY COMMON IN JUNGLE BATS AND WHEN THEIR HABITAT IS ENDANGERED BY HUMANS THE CHANCE OF SPREAD OF INFECTIONS RISE.
IF WE DESTROY THE JUNGLE AND TRY TO CUT TREES ETC DENYING THE THOUSANDS OF CREATURES LIVING IN THE JUNGLE THEIR NATURAL HABITAT WE ARE INVITING TROUBLE AND SO MANY LIVES ARE LOST MEANINGLESSLY. LIKE THE NIPAH VICTIMS.
LIKE THE FRUIT EATING BATS OF KERALA .WE WERE FRIGHTENED TO EAT FRUITS AS THE NIPAH VIRAL INFECTION WAS SPREADING AND CAUSING PANIC DUE TO SO MANY MORTALITIES. NOW SINCE A FEW DAYS WE ARE NOT HEARING ABOUT THE NIPAH VIRUS AND PROBABLY THE SITUATION IN UNDER CONTROL.WE EVEN HEARD THAT SOME PROOFS HAVE BEEN OBTAINED TO THE EFFECT THAT THE BAT WAS NOT EXACTLY THE CAUSE OF THE VIRAL OUTBREAK .LET BYGONE THINGS BE BYGONE.WE CAN ONLY PRAY FOR THE LIVES LOST MEANINGLESSLY.
WE HEARD ABOUT THE DIET HABIT OF BATS.LET US NOW TALK ABOUT THE DIET HABITS OF HUMANS!!!THE PEOPLE IN THE FAR REACHES OF AFRICA AND EVEN IN THE VILLAGES OF INDIA, CATCH BATS ,ROAST THEM AND COOK THEM IN COCONUT MILK.IT IS PROBABLY A DELICIOUS DISH TO THEM TASTING MUCH LIKE CHICKEN.
ROASTED BAT
BAT COOKED IN COCONUT WATER
SAD TO SAY, I HAVE SEEN PICTURES OF TOURISTS TASTING BAT MEAT.
BUT ACTUALLY OUR SUBJECT IS THE FRUIT EATING BATS OF CEEBROS GARDENS,VIRUGAMBAKKAM ,CHENNAI. EVER SINCE I HEARD THAT THERE ARE FRUIT BATS IN THE TREES ADJOINING OUR PARKING SPACE,I HAVE BECOME INTERESTED.I HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN THEIR COLONY. THE BATS ARE BROWN OR BLACK.VERY SMALL AND THE SIZE OF A SMALL SIZED LEMON.IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO PHOTOGRAPH THEM SINCE THEY LIVE IN THE DARK RECESSES OF THE DATE PALM TREES.BUT THE EFFORTS ARE ON.
SOME OF THE PICTURES ARE TAKEN FROM THE NET ESPECIALLY BATWORLD.COM AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. I THANK THEM FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE THEIR PICTURES BY DOWNLOADING THEM.
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