The
Giant golden-crowned flying-fox (
Acerodon jubatus), also known as the
Golden-capped fruit bat, is a rare
fruit batMegabats is the term used informally to refer to bats of the family Pteropodidae . They are also referred to as fruit bats, old world fruit bats, or flying foxes...
and considered the largest known
batBats are flying mammals in the order Chiroptera . The forelimbs of bats are webbed and developed as wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums and colugos, glide rather than...
in the world. The species is
endangeredAn endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters. Also it could mean that due to deforestation there may be a lack of food and/or water...
and is currently facing the possibility of
extinctionIn biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or group of taxa. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of that species...
due to
poachersPoaching is the illegal hunting, fishing, trapping, or eating of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws...
and food hunters. They can be found only in the
PhilippinesThe Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
, where they live in the
caveA cave or cavern is a natural underground void large enough for a human to enter. Some people suggest that the term cave should only apply to cavities that have some part that does not receive daylight; however, in popular usage, the term includes smaller spaces like sea caves, rock shelters, and...
s and
rainforestRainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm . The monsoon trough, alternately known as the intertropical convergence zone, plays a significant role in creating Earth's tropical rain forests.From 40 to 75%...
s of
Maitum, SaranganiMaitum is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Sarangani, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 37,054 people in 7,640 households....
.
The flying foxes are so named because of their facial likeness to a fox.
The
Giant golden-crowned flying-fox (
Acerodon jubatus), also known as the
Golden-capped fruit bat, is a rare
fruit batMegabats is the term used informally to refer to bats of the family Pteropodidae . They are also referred to as fruit bats, old world fruit bats, or flying foxes...
and considered the largest known
batBats are flying mammals in the order Chiroptera . The forelimbs of bats are webbed and developed as wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums and colugos, glide rather than...
in the world. The species is
endangeredAn endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters. Also it could mean that due to deforestation there may be a lack of food and/or water...
and is currently facing the possibility of
extinctionIn biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or group of taxa. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of that species...
due to
poachersPoaching is the illegal hunting, fishing, trapping, or eating of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws...
and food hunters. They can be found only in the
PhilippinesThe Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
, where they live in the
caveA cave or cavern is a natural underground void large enough for a human to enter. Some people suggest that the term cave should only apply to cavities that have some part that does not receive daylight; however, in popular usage, the term includes smaller spaces like sea caves, rock shelters, and...
s and
rainforestRainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm . The monsoon trough, alternately known as the intertropical convergence zone, plays a significant role in creating Earth's tropical rain forests.From 40 to 75%...
s of
Maitum, SaranganiMaitum is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Sarangani, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 37,054 people in 7,640 households....
.
Description
The flying foxes are so named because of their facial likeness to a fox. The Giant Golden-crowned Flying-fox is a prime example for this name. They have a long pointed snout compared to the Microchiroptera, and small ears that form an unbroken ring, giving them the appearance of a fox with wings. The Giant Golden Crowned Flying fox gets its species name from the golden fur around the head, in sharp contrast to the black body. Like all other fruit bats, they have no tail.
They are considered the largest of all fruit bats, with a wingspan average of 1.5 meters (5 feet) and weighing up to 1.2 kg (2.6 lb), though the
Large Flying FoxThe Large Flying Fox , also known as the Greater Flying Fox or kalang is a species of bat in the Pteropodidae family. It is found in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Tonga, and Vanuatu.Like the other members of the genus Pteropus, or the Old World Fruit...
has a greater wingspan.
Habitat
The Giant Golden-crowned Flying-fox is confined to the rainforests of the Phillipines. They have been found in many different areas of rainforest from sea-level to montane forests.
Behavior
The Giant Golden Crowned Flying fox is primarily nocturnal, and can travel at least 40 km (25 miles) in one night searching for food.
Diet
They eat primarily figs, though will take other fruit if figs are unavailable. They have been reported to eat cultivated fruit, but this is relatively rare. They are very important to the rainforests of the Phillipines. Known as "The Silent Planter", they often drop seeds from flying or release them in their droppings. This helps forest regrow, and without the Giant Golden Crowned Flying fox, the Rainforest would likely die out without a distributor for seeds.
Reproduction
Little is known about their reproduction. They appear to have two breeding seasons, but females only become pregnant during one of them. They typically give birth to only one. Females reach sexual maturity at two years.
Colonies
When fruit bats were very common in the Phillipines, the Giant Golden Crowned Flying fox and the Large Flying fox would make colonies together, reportedly numbering over 150,000 individuals. It is this roosting behavior that made them so easy to hunt.
Conservation
The Giant Golden Crowned Flying fox is under threat from deforestation and have completely disappeared from many smaller islands and some larger islands, such as
CebuCebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
, due to deforestation. They are also commercially hunted for meat in some areas.The local government of Maitum,
SaranganiSarangani is a province of the Philippines located in the
SOCCSKSARGEN region in Mindanao. Its capital is Alabel and borders South Cotabato to the north and Davao del Sur to the east....
in the Philippines has organized a campaign to save this rare species from extinction.