megabat

Megabat refers to the fruit bats of the family Pteropodidae, a group within the order Chiroptera. Traditionally placed in the suborder Megachiroptera, megabats are distinct from the echolocating microbats, though modern classifications place them within a broader bat framework. They are characterized by relatively large eyes, good vision, and reliance on olfactory and visual cues to locate food. Most megabats do not use echolocation to navigate; a few species in the genus Rousettus produce tongue-clicks to aid orientation in caves.

Megabats are distributed across Africa, Asia, Australia, and many islands in the Pacific. They inhabit tropical and subtropical forests, woodlands, and coastal habitats, and they roost in trees, caves, or, increasingly, in man-made structures when available. Diets are primarily frugivorous, consuming fruit, with nectar and pollen supplementing or replacing fruit in some species. Their feeding behavior makes megabats important seed dispersers and pollinators in many ecosystems.

In terms of behavior, megabats are generally nocturnal but can be active at dusk. They often form social roosts containing multiple individuals and exhibit species-specific breeding cycles. Most species give birth to a single immature offspring each year or every other year, depending on environmental conditions, with a period of maternal care following birth.

Conservation status varies among species. Habitat loss, hunting, and introduced predators threaten some populations, while others adapt to human-modified landscapes. Because of their ecological roles in pollination and seed dispersal, megabats are a focus of conservation efforts that emphasize habitat protection and mitigating direct persecution.