Volume 59, Issue 333, September - December 2023

Roost-Colony protection strategy from raiding by enemies in the Indian Flying Fox Pteropus medius (Temminck, 1825)

Susanta Mallick^1♦, Asif Hossain¹, Srimanta Kumar Raut²

¹Department of Zoology, Sidho Kanho Birsha University, Purulia, Pin-723104, West Bengal, India
²Ecology and Ethology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata – 700019, West Bengal, India

^♦Corresponding author
Department of Zoology, Sidho Kanho Birsha University, Purulia, Pin-723104, West Bengal, India

ABSTRACT

Pteropus medius roost in the open in trees. They are susceptible to attack by different predators and competing species. Roosting bats produce alarm calls in response to perceived danger. To assess anti-predator behaviors to watch the arrival of enemies, in these bats, we collected data on the directions roosting bats faced in two roost trees in West Bengal, India. It is revealed that the bats, irrespective of roost spots, are accustomed to maintaining the hanging posture facing all direction though out the day. These differences in hanging poses were statistically significant (P<0.05). We hypothesized that such orientation in hanging stance is the induced impact of anti-predator behavior to ensure vigil in all directions.

Keywords: Pteropus medius bats, roost trees, predators, competing species, vigilance strategy

Discovery, 2023, 59, e118d1358

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v59i333.e118d1358

Published: 01 November 2023