Ryukyu fruit bat
The Ryukyu flying fox or Ryukyu fruit bat (Pteropus dasymallus ) is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in Japan, Taiwan, and the Batanes and Babuyan Islands of the Philippines. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical swamps. It is threatened by habitat loss and by hunting for food and the IUCN classify it as "Vulnerable".
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
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Island endemicIsland endemic animals are found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island. Animals or organisms that are indigenous to a place ar...
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PollinatorA pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilizat...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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SocialCo
ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Ryukyu flying fox is a species of megabat. The body of this bat is covered in long hairs, making it seem almost woolly. The bat is reddish brown and has a yellowish white nape. Its ears are small and pointed, and are difficult to see beneath its thick fur. Its flight membranes are dark brown in color.
Ryukyu flying foxes are native to Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines. In Japan, they are found on the Osumi Islands, Tokara Islands, Okinawa Islands, Miyako Islands, Yaeyama Islands, and Daito Islands. In the Philippines, they are present in Batan, Dalupiri, and Fuga. Thee bats inhabit subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical swamps.
Ryukyu flying foxes are nocturnal creaturs and feed at night. Sometimes, however, during the day they can be found feeding on cherry blossoms. Normally, during the day they roost, singly or in small groups hiding high up in trees. They may even roost in large camps and may also change their roosting sites.
Ryukyu flying foxes are herbivores (frugivores, folivores). They feed mostly on fruits of at least 53 plant species. These bats also eat flowers, leaves, bark and may even eat some different species of insect.
Little is known about the mating system in Ryukyu flying foxes. They breed between November and early January. Females give birth to a single pup and the gestation period lasts around 4 or 6 months. Females in this species are ready to breed when they are 1 or 2 years old.
Main threats to Ryukyu flying foxes include hunting and habitat loss. Some populations in the Philippines are hunted for food as this bat is considered a delicacy on Babuyan Claro. In Japan, habitat loss is the main threat but some individuals get entangled in nets placed to protect citrus crops and others are electrocuted by power-lines.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of Ryukyu flying foxes is around 3,000-6,000 mature individuals. There are estimated populations of the species in the following areas: northern part of Japan - less than 200 individuals; on the two Daito islands - 300-500 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
Ryukyu flying foxes are important pollinators of some local tree species and also act as seed dispersers due to their foraging habits.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...