SEAVR 2016: 113-116
ISSN : 2424-8525
Date of publication: 31 August 2016.
Hosted online by ecologyasia.com

Rousettus sp. feeding on ripe bananas
at Phuket, southern Thailand
Nick BAKER
nbaker @ ecologyasia.com
Observer: Nick Baker.
Photographs by: Nick Baker.
Subjects identified by: B. P. Y. H. Lee, Pipat Soisook.
Location: Hills behind Kamala Beach, Phuket, southern Thailand.
Elevation: 60 metres.
Habitat: Cultivated forest clearing with scattered fruit trees (Fig. 1.), including banana and Parkia speciosa.
Date and time: 02 July 2016, 21:20 to 21:40 hrs.
Identity of subjects: Rousettus sp. (Mammalia: Chiroptera: Pteropodidae). Tentatively either Geoffroy's
Rousette Rousettus amplexicaudatus or Leschenault's Rousette Rousettus leschenaultii.
Description of record: An estimated eight individuals were observed feeding on the ripest fruits of a clump ofcultivated bananas, at a height of 2.5 metres from the ground. Each bat would swoop down into the banana tree,sometimes hovering for a few seconds (Fig. 2.) before landing on the chosen banana to feed for 2 or 3 seconds(Figs. 3 and 4.) before flying off again. Occasional vocalisation was heard, which comprised a loud squeaking
sound. After observing and photographing the bats for 20 minutes on 02 July 2016, they were then left
undisturbed. On the subsequent night of 03 July 2016 a repeat visit was made to the same location, but the batswere not seen.

Fig. 1.

© Nick Baker

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Fig. 2.

© Nick Baker

Fig. 3.

© Nick Baker

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Fig. 4.

© Nick Baker

Fig. 5.

© Nick Baker

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Remarks: These bats are identified as Rousettus sp. based on their size, the presence of a distinct tail (Fig. 5.) andan elongated rostrum (Fig. 4.). Some variability in fur colour is apparent, ranging from orange brown to greyish
brown to yellowish brown on different parts of the body and in different individuals.
It is not possible to identify these bats to species level on the basis of photographs alone. Based on known ranges,
however, these bats are likely to be either Rousettus amplexicaudatus or Rousettus leschenaultii.
Rousettus amplexicaudatus is wide-ranging in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Burma and Peninsular Malaysia(Rookmaaker & Bergmans, 1981). Rousettus leschenaultii is equally wide-ranging in the region, including Thailandand neighbouring Burma (Bates & Helgen, 2008).
A brief review of available literature reveals that the fruits of the banana Musa sp. may form part of the diet of
Rousettus spp., however original, primary information on the topic appears limited. Vanlalnghaka (2015), however,clearly documented the year round consumption of banana fruits by Rousettus leschenaultii in the Lengteng
Wildlife Sanctuary, northeast India.
References:Bates, P. & Helgen, K. (2008). Rousettus leschenaultii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
<http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/19756/0> (Accessed 26 August 2016).
Heideman, P. D. & Utzurrum, R. C. (2003). Seasonality and synchrony of reproduction in three species ofnectarivorous Philippines bats. BMC ecology, 3(1), 1.
Rookmaaker, L. C. & Bergmans, W. (1981). Taxonomy and geography of Rousettus amplexicaudatus (Geoffroy,1810) with comparative notes on sympatric congeners (Mammalia, Megachiroptera). Beaufortia, 31(1), 1-29.
Vanlalnghaka, C. (2015). Seasonal variation in the diet of the frugivorous bat, Rousettus leschenaultia. ScienceVision 15:3.

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