A land of wing-handed wonders.
07.29.26
By Paul Hormick
Recently, Bat Conservation International partnered with the Nature Conservation Foundation to release the State of India’s Bats report, the first comprehensive assessment of that country’s bat species and the status of their conservation. With 135 recorded species of bats spread across 3.28 million square kilometers, India is home to diverse bat habitats from bustling cities to remote caves and forests. Which of these wing-handed wonders might you be lucky enough to spot fluttering overhead from dusk to dawn?
Indian Flying Fox
Weighing in at three and a half pounds and having a wingspan reaching almost five feet, the Indian flying fox (Pteropus medius) is one of the largest bats in the world. They prefer habitat close to bodies of water, human development, and farms throughout the Asian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, where they form large colonies that roost in tall trees or temples. By feeding on crops such as bananas and mangoes, these flying foxes benefit pollination and seed propagation.
Greater Short-Nosed Fruit Bat
From Pakistan to Vietnam, the greater short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx) lives in tropical forests, grasslands, and mangroves. They are also found around fruit crop farms. They construct tents, usually high in palm trees, from palm fronds. When palms aren’t available, they will often make tents by closely interweaving the leaves and twigs of creeping vines. Despite its name, this bat has a rather long snout.
These bats could be described as gluttons, often consuming more than their body weight in ripe guava, banana, dates, and other fruits in one sitting. They are also polygynous, with males mating with multiple females.
Naked-Rumped Tomb Bat
A widespread species found from the Cape Verde Islands and East Africa through the Middle East and India, the naked-rumped tomb bat (Taphozous nudiventris) takes to the skies shortly after sunset, flying fast and high as it hunts moths, flying ants, beetles, and other insects. Short, sleek fur covers this bat’s entire body, except for (you guessed it) its rump. In Egypt, naked-rumped tomb bats roost, along with several other species of bats, in the ancient Karnak Temple Complex.
Greater False Vampire Bat
From dusk till dawn, adult greater false vampire bats (Lyroderma lyra) fly very low, about a foot and a half above water and terrestrial surfaces, as they hunt reptiles, fish, small birds, insects, and even other bats. These bats will also find low perches a small percentage of the time, using sight, sound, and echolocation to find their prey. The habitat of the greater false vampire bat stretches from South Asia and Southeast Asia into China.
Schneider’s Roundleaf Bat
This small, grey to orangish brown bat lives in tropical and subtropical dry forests and urban areas of Sri Lanka and India. An insectivore, the Schneider’s roundleaf bat (Hipposideros speoris) flies slowly and close to the ground to forage. Although listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN, a number of current practices in India threaten this species. People hunt the Schneider’s roundleaf bat for both food and folk medicine. Stone quarrying and tourism activities disturb their roosts. Roosts are also lost when a preferred habitat, old buildings, are torn down.
Leschenault’s Rousette
Unlike other fruit bats, which do not have the ability to echolocate, the Leschenault’s Rousette (Rousettus leschenaultia) can fly through pitch black caves using echolocation. Besides caves, this large eyed and brown-to-greyish bat roosts in tunnels, and abandoned buildings. Highly adaptable, the Rousette lives in a number of habitats—even in close proximity to humans—throughout the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and portions of the East Indies.
Black-Bearded Tomb Bat
Black-bearded tomb bats (Taphozous melanopogon) feed on a variety of insects and spiders. They can sometimes form colonies of up to 15,000 individuals as they roost in caves, temples, or ruins. Females give birth to a single pup after a gestation period of 120 to 125 days, although twins sometimes occur. With tufts of black fur on their chins that resemble beards, these bats can give the appearance of wise sages.
Lesser False Vampire Bat
The first thing you may notice about the lesser false vampire bat (Megaderma spasma) are its huge jackrabbit ears. Their grey-to-chocolatey-brown fur can sometimes appear bluish, and their 12-inch-long wings have yellow veins that give off a yellowish orange tinge when backlit. Lesser false vampire bats roost in caves and the hollows of trees. They prefer eating moths and grasshoppers, but will eat larger prey, even other bats.
Lesser Mouse-Tailed Bat
Lesser mouse-tailed bats (Rhinopoma hardwickii) can be mistaken for birds as they swoop and glide in their low altitude hunt for insects. Especially adapted to living in hot, arid environments, they can keep themselves from inhaling dust by opening and closing slits or valves that lie just above their nostrils. They can also physiologically control their kidneys and reduce water loss.
Painted Bat
With its orange fur and orange-striped black wings, the painted bat (Kerivoula picta) might be the most striking and beautiful bat in India. It is thought that these colors camouflage them as they roost on the trunks, leaves and stems of trees. This insectivore prefers dry forests, grasslands, and farms. The beauty of this bat is also a liability, as they are hunted and shipped all over the world as souvenirs. Habitat loss and pesticides also threaten their numbers. The IUCN lists the conservation status of the painted bat as Near Threatened.
Paul Hormick, author of the environmental newsletter The Green Dispatch, a frequent contributor to “The Bat Pub,” and has spent the last 22 years writing about music, food, and the environment.
