A note on feeding habits of fruit bats in Colaba, Urban Mumbai, India.

Observing feeding behaviour of nocturnal creatures like bats is very difficult unless we are equipped with night-vision instruments. However, we were very fortunate to observe the feeding techniques of the Short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx and the Indian Flying Fox Pteropus giganteus on the fruits of Ficus racemosa near the Police Headquarters in
Colaba, Mumbai, without the aid of any specialised instruments. Since the tree was located in an urban area, there was bright light which made observations easier with the naked eye. The tree produced pink ripe fruits, numbering more than one thousand. Unlike other figs, the fruits are borne directly in the main trunk and other branches in bunches of 50-100. We could not collect any systematic data as it was a sensitive area and we were even questioned by sentries about our intentions. So we just observed them for 15 minutes for three days without pen or paper. It provided us valuable insights into the feeding behaviour of the two fruit bat species.