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Order : CHIROPTERA
Family : Megadermatidae
Species : Megaderma spasma
Forearm Length : up to 6 cm
Weight : up to 34 grams
The Lesser False Vampire
inhabits mainly primary or mature secondary forest. Its roosts include
hollow trees and manmade structures such as road culverts. Roosting groups
may comprise up to 5 individuals closely packed together.
In the field, false vampires
can be identified primarily by their large, rounded ears, which are joined
at the base. Closer inspection reveals a tragus which is bifurcate (the
tragus is the pointed structure inside the ear), and a noseleaf comprising a
long lobe stiffened by a central ridge.
The fur is grey to
brown, and the short tail does not extend outside the interfemoral membrane.
The species feeds mainly
on large insects (moths, grasshoppers etc.) and sometimes small vertebrates
(such as lizards). False vampires do not drink blood, as their name implies.
The species ranges
throughout Southeast Asia from Sri Lanka and India in the west to the
Philippines and eastern Indonesia.
Fig 1 : A lone bat roosts by day in the shelter of a forest hut.
Figs 2 to 4 : A roosting group photographed in a road culvert.
All photos from Gunung Pulai, Johor,
Peninsular Malaysia.
References : M1, M2
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