Salim Ali's Fruit Bat
Latidens salimalii
Conservation Status
EndangeredMammalia · Chiroptera · Pteropodidae
About
Salim Ali's fruit bat is a rare megabat species in the monotypic genus Latidens. It was first collected by Angus Hutton, a planter and naturalist in the High Wavy Mountains in the Western Ghats of Theni district, Tamil Nadu in South India in 1948. It was initially misidentified as a short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus) but later identified by Kitti Thonglongya as a new species and was named after Indian ornithologist Salim Ali in 1972.
Fun Fact
It was first collected by Angus Hutton, a planter and naturalist in the High Wavy Mountains in the Western Ghats of Theni district, Tamil Nadu in South India in 1948.
Quick Facts
Habitat
To be updated
Diet
Eat fresh fruits of Elaeocarpus oblongus (Rudraksh or bead tree) and the figs Ficus glomerata (cluster fig), Ficus macrocarpa (Indian laurel fig) and Ficus beddomei (Thavital, a strangler fig).
Lifespan
To be updated
Threats
- Habitat Loss
- Poaching and Hunting
- Human-Wildlife Conflict
- Disease