| Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Pteropodidae |
| Genus: | Epomops |
| Species: | E. buettikoferi
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| Binomial name | |
| Epomops buettikoferi (Matschie, 1899)
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| Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat range | |
| Synonyms | |
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Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat (Epomops buettikoferi) is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and savanna.[1]
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True Facts About The Fruit Bat
Transcription
Here we will explore true facts about the fruit bat. There are many species of fruit bat. Most of these are megabats. This means they're in the suborder of Megachiroptera and the family Pteropodidae. Yes, the Latins went a little apesh*t with the naming of things, which is, however, lucky because if YouTube had done the naming these would all be called "big-ass bat check out my tumblr you dick weed .com" The megabat fruit bats include the largest true flying mammals in the world: the flying fox. Which is a bat. The largest of these can have wing spans of over five feet. Luckily, they eat fruit. Unlike the bird, the bat wing is made of a thin membrane of skin stretching between its body, arm, hand, and very long creepy fingers. When resting, the megabat uses its wing to surround itself like a blanket. It hangs upside down with the help of its cool little feet in order to create a chimney in the event of a dutch oven. Thank you, Urban Dictionary. This is important because the megabat possesses an amazing sense of smell. Unlike the microbat, the megabat does not possess echolocation. This is because with the exception of the guava, fruit does not give up much chase. Here you can see different parts of the megabat's anatomy. Its wings, its tiny round kneecaps... Wait, those aren't kneecaps. What are you doing, you're licking-? Oh my. Let's just pretend they're kneecaps. For amusement, groups of megabats hang on trees and using the raincoat that evolution has given them, they flash one another. Mega-dirty. Megabat. Partially due to the fact that these animals are eaten as a delicacy, they are endangered and sometimes their babies must be raised in the cutest damn sanctuaries in the world. Meet Eric. Eric is not a megabat. Eric is one of the few microbat fruit bats. When he was young, some of the other microbats called him Vagina-Face. No one ever referred to him as a flying fox. In fact, he was given the nickname Flying-F*ck, but those bats were idiots because Eric is a sensitive and wonderful fruit bat. He even writes poetry about grapes. And while those other bats live empty lives judging the world by how it looks, Eric focused on what was inside and he found Lily. and the two of them have better sex than all the rest of them.
Taxonomy and etymology
It was described as a new species in 1899 by German zoologist Paul Matschie. Matschie placed it in the genus Epomophorus, naming it Epomophorus büttikoferi. The holotype was found in Schlieffelinsville, Liberia, along the Junk River. Matschie named the new species after Dr. Johann Büttikofer, who had conducted several scientific expeditions to Liberia.[2] In 1965, Kuhn published that it was a subspecies of the Franquet's epauletted fruit bat (Epomops franqueti). This was refuted in 1975 by Bergmans, who reported that the Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat differs significantly from Franquet's epauletted fruit bat in its morphology, warranting that they remain separate species.[3]
This conclusion may be challenged again, however, as a 2016 study found that Franquet's epauletted fruit bat and Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat were indistinguishable on the basis of mitochondrial DNA. The small genetic distance between the two taxa led the authors of the 2016 paper to assert that Epomops is monotypic, consisting of only Franquet's epauletted fruit bat, which is further divided into subspecies E. franqueti franqueti in Central Africa and E. franqueti buettikoferi in West Africa.[4]
Description
Males of this species weigh 164–198 g (0.362–0.437 lb), while females weigh 85–132 g (0.187–0.291 lb). While it is similar in appearance to Franquet's epauletted fruit bat, Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat can be differentiated by its greater forearm, greater skull length, and longer first molar. Males have a forearm length greater than 91 mm (3.6 in) while females have a forearm length usually exceeding 86 mm (3.4 in). Greatest skull length in males is greater than 51 mm (2.0 in), while greatest skull length in females is greater than 45.8 mm (1.80 in).[3]
Biology
Free-ranging Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bats feed almost exclusively on fruit. The fruits of the Cape fig and Ficus vallischoudae comprised almost 50% of the diet of a population in Ivory Coast.[5] Little is known about the reproduction of this species. It is possible that there are two breeding seasons per year, as pregnant females have been encountered in January and July. Juvenile individuals have been found in March and August.[3] This hypothesis was supported by research on a population in Liberia, which had two breeding seasons per year. Births occurred in February–March and August–September, coinciding with the biannual wet seasons.[6]
Range and habitat
The Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat overlaps with Franquet's epauletted fruit bat in the western part of its range.[3] In its range to the west of Ghana, it is one of the most common species of its family encountered. While usually found in low-lying areas, it has been documented at elevations up to 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level on Mount Nimba.[1]
Conservation
Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat has been evaluated by the IUCN since 1994. From 1994–2004 it was listed as vulnerable; from 2004–present it has been least concern. While some of its habitat is within protected areas, it can thrive in areas that lack legal protection. It is hunted for bushmeat, though it is unclear what impact this has on its population numbers.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Monadjem, A. (2016). "Epomops buettikoferi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T7907A22116763. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T7907A22116763.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ^ Matschie, P. (1899). Die Fledermäuse des Berliner Museums für Naturkunde. 1. Lieferung. Die Megachiroptera des Berliner Museums für Naturkunde. Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin. pp. 45–46.
- ^ a b c d Bergmans, W. (1975). "On the differences between sympatric Epomops franqueti (Tomes, 1860) and Epomops buettikoferi (Matschie, 1899), with additional notes on the latter species (Mammalia, Megachiroptera)". Beaufortia. 23 (304): 141–152.
- ^ Hassanin, A.; Nesi, N.; Marin, J.; Kadjo, B.; Pourrut, X.; Leroy, É.; Ruedi, M. (2016). "Comparative phylogeography of African fruit bats (Chiroptera, Pteropodidae) provide new insights into the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa, 2014–2016". Comptes Rendus Biologies. 339 (11): 517–528. doi:10.1016/j.crvi.2016.09.005. PMID 27746072.
- ^ Thomas, D. W. (1984). "Fruit intake and energy budgets of frugivorous bats". Physiological Zoology. 57 (4): 457–467. doi:10.1086/physzool.57.4.30163347.
- ^ Kofron, C. P.; Chapman, A. (1994). "Reproduction and sexual dimorphism of the West African fruit bat, Epomops buettikoferi, in Liberia". African Journal of Ecology. 32 (4): 308–316. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2028.1994.tb00581.x.
This page was last edited on 28 January 2023, at 02:31