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Bats in my porch: 11. Figs

on 1st September 2014

Figs LINK are one of the favourite food of the Common Fruit Bats (Cynopterus brachyotis) LINK. Shortly after sunset, these bats seek out fruiting fig trees using their large eyes and strong sense of smell – fruit bats do not echolocate. Circling round the tree, they settle on a selected bunch of figs. Once a ripe fig has been selected, they fly back to the roost to eat it (above).

Eating involves crushing the fig to extract the juice and discard the compacted mass. These discards are left on the ground under the roost (above). Should these pellets be examined, numerous fig seeds can be seen. In the process of crushing the figs, a few seeds will obviously be swallowed. These are eventually discarded with the faeces. The image below shows the crushed figs still attached to the stalk as well as fig pellets – scale in mm.

In this way these bats help to disperse the seeds of the fig trees they feed on.

Working with a Panamanian fig community, Kalko et al., 1996) found that fruit bats are attracted to figs that ripen synchronously and remain green when ripe. Those that ripen asynchronously, small and turn red with ripening are sought after by birds.

YC Wee
Singapore
August 2014

Reference:
Kalko, E. K. V., Herre, E. A. and Handley, C. O. (1996). Relation of fig fruit characteristics to fruit-eating bats in the New and Old World tropics. Journal of Biogeography, 23: 565–576.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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