Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat

The greater short-nosed fruit bat has a fairly long snout and brown to grey-brown upperparts, paler below, with fine silky fur, white-edged ears and wing bones, a wingspan of about 48 cm and an average forearm of 70.2 mm. It is a voracious eater that can take more than its body weight in one sitting, finding fruit by scent. Guava, banana, sapodilla, dates and lychees are favourites (Wikipedia, general species account).

It builds simple tents by chewing palm fronds, or interlaces leaves and twigs on vines growing over buildings. Females outnumber males, and in central India it breeds twice a year with a single young each time, after a gestation of about three to five months. It ranges from Pakistan to Vietnam and is regarded as a pest of fruit crops.