Lesser Long-tongued Fruit Bat (Macroglossus minimus) lives in tropical rainforest across Southeast Asia. It feeds on nectar & fruit. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Lesser Long-tongued Fruit Bat
- The bat's range stretches from Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia across the Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and reaches northern Australia, covering islands and mainland coastlines. It has been recorded from sea level up to 1 500 m, thriving in mangroves, dipterocarp forests and lower montane woodlands.
- Females can become pregnant in any month, showing a truly year-round breeding pattern. Gestation lasts about 120 days (± 10 days) and lactation follows for 60-70 days, after which females are fertile again within roughly 70-90 days. In the Philippines, a single female may raise two to three pups each year.
- Feeding on nectar and pollen from banana, coconut and mangrove flowers, the bat acts as a powerhouse pollinator. It transfers pollen for families such as Bignoniaceae, Bombacaceae, Leguminosae, Musaceae, Myrtaceae and Sonneratiaceae, directly supporting both wild forests and commercial banana plantations. Without its nightly visits, many of these trees would see sharply reduced fruit set, threatening both ecosystem diversity and human harvest jobs.
- Unlike many bats that roost in large colonies, this species is almost always solitary, only gathering when a mother tends her pup. It hides under roofs, in rolled leaves on the ground or in trees, and even clings to branches of foraging trees. Solitary roosting reduces predator attention on such a tiny prey item, making it less worth the effort for hunters.
- At just 60-85 mm long, the long-tongued nectar bat is among the tiniest megabats. Adults weigh only 12-18 g while juveniles start at about 9 g.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeSoutheast Asia
HabitatTropical rainforest
DietNectar & fruit
About the Lesser Long-tongued Fruit Bat
In the twilight skies of the tropical rainforest, the Lesser Long-tongued Fruit Bat unfurls its delicate wings, a master of aerial agility as it dances through the shadows in pursuit of its prized nectar. With each deft beat, it navigates the dense canopy with ease, its long, extendable tongue darting in and out of its mouth with lightning speed to gather the sweetest rewards. As it flits from flower to flower, its large, round eyes shine like lanterns in the darkness, illuminating a world of nocturnal wonder.
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