Nature watch

Every evening, against the backdrop of a setting sun, scores of both insect and fruit eating bats emerge out in search of food. While most of the bats emerge from pre-existing structures such as caves, crevices and human habitation, some emerge from structures modified by their own efforts. Our interest is particularly in the fruit bats emerging out from modified foliage. Because of their role in the regeneration of tropical forests by dispersing huge numbers of seeds, fruit bats are of profound importance. In this article, we discuss the mating strategy adopted by the Indian short-nosed fruit batCynopterus sphinx, the mechanics of tent-making in this species, and some recent findings which argue for an alternative breeding strategy.