Cynopterus+sphinx

=**//Cynopterus sphinx// (**Pteropodiae) ( FOUNDERS NAME) (Short-nosed Fruit Bat)=

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The //Cynopterus sphinx// is commonly known by many names. They include:
 * the Short-nosed Fruit Bat,
 * the Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat and;
 * the Short-nosed Indian Fruit bat.

However, all of these names still make some reference to the bat's morphology and diet i.e. it appears to have a short snout and it known to feed on fruits. (Note: the rest of the article will refer to this species of bat as the Short-nosed Fruit Bat).

Like all bats, the Short-nosed Fruit Bat is nocturnal, which means it sleeps all day and is only awake at night. During the night, it hunts for food, finds shelter and even looks for a mate. If you happen to see this bat during the day, it will probably be hanging upside down and be fast asleep.

**Distribution**


The Short-nosed fruit bat can be found across South-East Asia and are native to many of these countries. It is not known to be found in Singapore as of yet however many of our neighboring countries have populations of these bats.

The region is a great place to visit and learn about the ecosystems that South-East Asia has to offer.

**Conservation Status**
Currently, the Short-nose Fruit Bat has been classified 'Least Concern' under the IUCN red list. However South-East Asia is one of the regions in the world with the richest species of bats.



**What does it look like?**
The Short-nosed Fruit bat is known as a medium-sized fruit bat. The adult has an average wingspan of 380mm or 38cm! That's slightly longer than (find a scale). However, you can tell them apart from other Cynoperus bats because the Short-nose Fruit bat is smaller. (Imagine how big those other bats can be!) It has a short and broad muzzle with nostrils that protrude from its muzzle (Figure 1).

The Short-nosed Fruit Bat can be mistaken for the Lesser Dog-face Bat (//Cynopterus// //brachyotis)// especially if you are just looking at them. This is because they are in the same order and may share similar appearances.This How can we tell them apart?
 * Be Careful! **

Scientists that are trained to measure bats can look at the lengths of the bats different body parts like its forearms and ears. They can even check the type of teeth each bat has to tell what species the bat is. But, since we don't know how to handle bats properly, one quick way to tell the difference in species is to look at the ears. Lets see what the differences are:

(//Cynopterus sphinx//) ||= Lesser Dog-face Bat (//Cynopterus brachyotis//) || Don't worry if you can't tell them apart right away. Even scientists have gotten confused in the past. They have listed the Short-nosed Fruit Bat as a sub-species under the Lesser Dog-face Bat and even gave it the name //Cynopterus branchyotis// //scherzeri.// However, the //scherzeri// subspecies has recently been re-categorized under //C. spinx.//
 * [[image:http://cdn1.arkive.org/media/0E/0E0B172B-15D1-4B97-B1AD-15E7BD0B1B24/Presentation.Large/Lesser-short-nosed-fruit-bat-hanging-from-roost.jpg width="523" height="393"]] || [[image:https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6066/6155541819_c99d5480b0_b.jpg width="524" height="393"]] ||
 * = Short-nosed Fruit Bat
 * = Longer Ears ||= Shorter Ears ||
 * = The outline around the ear is paler and more distinct. ||= The outline around the ears are less noticeable. ||

The tricky bit about this though, is that once more is learnt about these bats, they could easily be re-classified again. That is why, in the past when scientists learnt more about the Short-nose Fruit Bat, they renamed it according to what new aspect they learnt about the bat. It's scientific name has changed so much since it was first found in 1797! These names are known as synonyms to the currently used //Cynopterus sphinx//. They are:


 * Cynopterus angulatus Miller, 1898
 * Cynopterus brachyotis Miller, 1898 subspecies angulatus
 * Cynopterus brachyotis Zelebor, 1869 variety scherzeri
 * Cynopterus marginatus Gray, 1870 variety ellitoi
 * Cynopterus sphnx Andersen, 1910 subspecies gangeticus
 * Pachysoma brevicaudatum Temminck, 1837
 * Pteropus marginatus É. Geoffroy, 1810
 * Pteropus pusillus É. Geoffroy, 1803
 * Vespertilio fibulatus Vahl, 1797
 * Vespertilio sphinx Vahl, 1797

**Social Structure**
Male bats can build tents out of leaves of the trees they roost in. This is done to attract females to roost and eventually nest in their tents. Some studies show that females like longer tents, because it is indicative that the male that built it would be able to fend of possible intruders.

1 male and a few females can live in one tent. This group of bats is then known as a harem. Then there are a few harems in the same area, a colony is then formed. Males are more dedicated to their colonies, mainly because they put in time and effort to build and maintain their tents. Females can migrate from colony to colony but some times stay when they have more than enough males to pick from each breeding season!
 * How many can live in a tent?**


 * What do their tents look like?**

**Biology**
There are two very key features of a bat's biology we should learn about: how they eat and how they mate. Let's learn about what they eat first.

**Feeding Habits**

 * What do they eat?**The short-nosed fruit bat is a herbivore, meaning that is consumes fruits, leaves and other plant matter. Fruits they consume are seasonal and range depending on their surrounding environments. They usually feed on fruit in the early hours of the night. If they were to venture out later, they have then been known to feed on leaves. The Short-nose Fruit Bat has also been noted to feed on nectar from the flowers of banana and butter trees shortly after sunset.


 * How do they find their food?** The Short-nosed Fruit bat does not use echolocation. Instead they use their strong sense of smell to find their food! Some studies suggest that these bats can remember the areas have found food successfully!

**Reproduction**
The Short-nosed fruit bat has two annual breeding seasons: February to March and October to November. This also happens to be when many fruits are in season, which means that there will be plenty of food for the mating bats.

**Taxonomy**
Taxonomy is known as the science of classification, usually of animals. This means all animals are grouped together according to different similarities they may have. Since many animals may share some similarities and have a range of differences, there are many levels of classification and many different group names. Lets look at how the Short-nosed Fruit Bat is classified.


 * = Domain ||= Kingdom ||= Phylum ||= Class ||= Order ||= Family ||= Genus ||= Species ||
 * = Eukarya ||= Anamilia ||= Chordata ||= Mammalia ||= Chiroptera ||= Pteropodidae ||= Cynopterus ||= Sphinx ||