FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
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Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
The Ryukyu flying fox (Pteropus dasymallus) is a megabat and fruit bat species that gets its name from its native habitat, the Ryukyu Archipelago in Japan. It is also found in the Philippines and in Thailand. It is a bat that does not depend on echolocation, but rather uses its sense of smell and vision to get around and find food. This fruit bat also has large fox-like eyes, hence its name. It is one of the fruit bats that depends on a variety of fruits and leaves for its diet. It has a liking for figs and also eats insects sometimes. It is known for roosting during the daytime with others of its species and feeds during the night. Females of the species give birth to a singular young one. As bats, they carry viruses that may be transmitted when humans come in close contact with them, but they are not aggressive towards humans. Ryukyu flying fox fruit bats inadvertently disperse the seeds of important plants and hence are essential pollinators, even though they are not ideal for orchards. Habitat loss and hunting for food have resulted in this species coming under threat and being given a Vulnerable status by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Sadly, a number of these bats tend to get entangled in nets meant to protect a fruit plant or crops.
Learn more interesting facts about mammals like the red bat and the greater mouse-eared bat here on Kidadl.
The Ryukyu flying fox (Pteropus dasymallus) is a megabat and fruit bat.
The Ryukyu flying fox (Pteropus dasymallus) fruit bat belongs to the Mammalia class of animals
There are estimated to be about 3,000-6,000 mature individuals of the Ryukyu flying fox (P. dasymallus) species in the world.
The Ryukyu flying fox (P. dasymallus) is a fruit bat that lives in a range of tropical and subtropical dry forests and swamps in Asia, mainly the Ryukyu Islands in Japan.
The Ryukyu flying fox (P. dasymallus) is found in the countries of Taiwan and Japan. The typical Ryukyu flying fox range also covers the Philippines. These countries fall in the tropical and subtropical zones. In these zones, Ryukyu flying fox fruit bats like to make a habitat in a dry forest or swamp. This bat likes roosting on trees in the forests during the daytime. Being a bat, it forages around the forest and swamp for fruits and leaves of various trees at night.
Ryukyu flying fox bats (Pteropus dasymallus) are seen roosting on trees, alone, in small groups, or in large colonies.
The Ryukyu fruit bat (Pteropus dasymallus) may live anywhere between 10-24 years.
Ryukyu flying fox bats (Pteropus dasymallus) reproduce by mating and giving birth to young bats. The breeding season is from November to January. Females are able to give birth once they are two years of age. The gestation period lasts for four to six months, and a single pup is born in May or June.
The conservation status of Ryukyu flying fox bats (Pteropus dasymallus), according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is currently Vulnerable.
The five subspecies of Ryukyu flying fox fruit bats only show a minimal amount of differences in biology; their general description does not alter a lot. Compared to Indian flying fox bats, the body of the Ryukyu flying fox species is smaller. Ryukyu flying foxes are usually 8-9 in (20.3-22.9 cm) in length, with their forearms measuring around 5.5 in (14 cm). They have impressive wingspans of around 4 ft 1 in–4 ft 8 in (1.24-1.41 m), and they usually weigh around 0.88–1.10 lb (400-500 g). The wings of this megabat species are dark brown, whereas its overall fur is brown and an accurate description of its body color would be reddish-brown or between black and brown. The Ryukyu flying fox species has yellowish-white napes and pointed small ears. It has a woolly appearance due to having long hair and fur all over its body. Populations of this bat also have pointed muzzles and large fox-like eyes. The color of the throat and neck may be lighter in some subspecies.
Ryukyu flying foxes have the cutest fox-like faces with big eyes. These Japanese fruit bats are also sociable and intelligent. They have impressive wingspans and have beautiful furry hair. Being a megabat and a flying fox species, they are also highly intelligent and social animals. They are completely harmless unless you come in close contact with them.
Ryukyu flying fox (Pteropus dasymallus) populations have well-developed eyesight and a good sense of smell. Being a flying fox species, they do not use echolocation. Ryukyu flying foxes are vocal creatures. They communicate within their small groups using their voices around campsites and at night, in feeding areas. These Japanese flying foxes are especially noisy when breeding season comes around because they become territorial at this time, and noisily defend their territories.
A Ryukyu flying fox is 8-9 in (20.3-22.9 cm) in length, has a wingspan of 4 ft 1 in–4 ft 8 in ( 1.24-1.41 m). This makes them seven to eight times bigger than Kitti's hog-nosed bat.
Ryukyu flying foxes, much like other flying fox species, can move at speeds of around 13 mph (6 m/s) and are even known to reach speeds of 19 mph (8.6 m/s).
Ryukyu flying foxes weigh around 0.88–1.10 lb (400-500 g).
Males and females of the Ryukyu flying fox species do not have specific names.
A baby Ryukyu flying fox may be called a 'pup'.
The typical Ryukyu flying fox diet consists mainly of fruits and leaves of different trees. They have a fondness for figs, but also eat many other fruits, flowers, leaves, and even insects.
Ryukyu flying fox populations are not directly poisonous to humans, but they do pose a threat as a source of viruses and consequent diseases which can be fatal, such as the Australian bat lyssavirus and Hendra virus.
The Ryukyu fruit bat (Pteropus dasymallus) cannot really be kept as a pet as it is unethical to cage up these Japanese fruit bats. They survive and live through smells, and are very social animals, and will not do well in a captive environment. They may not survive long outside their natural habitat as they need to forage freely for food for their largely frugivorous diet. These bats can survive for only up to two years in captivity compared to a 10-24 year lifespan in the wild, showing that their lives come under serious threat when locked up.
The Ryukyu flying fox belongs to the Animalia Kingdom, phylum Chordata. All vertebrates belong to the Animal Kingdom, phylum Chordata.
Orii's flying fox (Pteropus dasymallus inopinatus) is a subspecies of Ryukyu flying fox fruit bats. This Pteropus dasymallus inopinatus subspecies feeds on a total of 78 different plant and fruit species.
A high number of Ryukyu flying fox bats are often found to get entangled in nets in Japan near orchards or fields of crops. They are also electrocuted by electricity lines sometimes. Conservation of these bats is paramount since they are a vulnerable species. Increased habitat loss and hunting for meat have also threatened the existence of this species.
Ryukyu flying foxes fall under the kingdom Animalia. All bats and megabats of the flying fox description fall under this kingdom.
Ryukyu flying foxes are natural pollinators as they disperse seeds that are essential to natural and plant industries such as timber, crops of food, and medicine.
On the island of Yakushima, the Ryukyu flying fox is found less often than on Kyushu Island. In Taiwan, after being constantly threatened, the species and its subspecies are currently classified as Endangered by the IUCN.
One subspecies of Ryuku flying foxes was the Taiwanese fruit bat (Pteropus dasymallus formosus). Sadly the Pteropus dasymallus formosus is now extinct according to the IUCN.
Fruits are not the only plant part that the Ryukyu flying fox eats, its diet also consists of flowers and plant bark sometimes.
In the Philippines, a distribution of the Ryukyu flying fox is observed on Batanes Island and the Babuyan Islands. More specifically in the Babuyan Archipelago of the Philippines, this species occurs on Dalupiri Island and Fuga Island. Also, there are numerous islands in Japan where the Ryukyu flying fox is found, mainly in the Ryuku Archipelago. The Tokara Archipelago in the Satsunan Islands, Okinawa and Ishigaki Islands, and Iriomote-Jima in the Yaeyama Islands are some more of the places in Japan where a distribution of these flying foxes is observed. Other habitats in Japan include the Hatoma, Yonakuni, and Obama islands. Even though Japan is its native land, populations are in decline there.
No, Ryukyu flying fox fruit bats are not physically dangerous to humans. The only threats they pose to a human are if we come in close contact with these animals, contract a virus that the bat carries and suffer from the subsequent disease.
No, Ryukyu flying fox fruit bats are not aggressive towards humans. They pose no physical threats if left alone. If a human tries to handle the bat, it may try to scratch you, but nothing more. They are aggressive with their own species during the breeding season because they get territorial.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals from our water vole facts and megabats facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Ryukyu flying fox coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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