Harpy fruit bat

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Harpy fruit bat (Harpyionycteris whiteheadi) is a megabat that is found only in the Philippines. It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

Description
The bat has two-tone brown fur, with darker upperparts and lighter underparts. It has no tail but a small, furry uropatagium. Its body is about 14.0–15.3 cm long and it weighs around 83–142 g. Its upper teeth angle forward and cross when the mouth is closed; molars have five or six cusps, and the lower canines have three cusps.

Diet and ecology
Harpy fruit bats eat fruit, especially from pandan vines and some fig species. Their droppings spread seeds and help regenerate forests.

Reproduction
Mature within a year. There are two breeding seasons: January–February and July–August. Females usually give birth to one pup per pregnancy after 4–5 months of gestation and 3–4 months of lactation. Some females may have two pups per year if they breed in both seasons.

Distribution and habitat
This bat lives on many Philippine islands, including Biliran, Maripipi, Camiguin, Leyte, Southern Luzon, Mindanao, Mindoro, Negros, Cebu, Masbate, and Samar. It inhabits primary and secondary montane forests from sea level up to 1,800 meters, often around 500 meters elevation.

Behavior
Like other fruit bats, Harpy fruit bats are crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) and roost in trees rather than caves.

Conservation
The population is thought to be stable. Main threats are deforestation, especially at lower elevations, and hunting for bushmeat, though the level of hunting is not well documented.