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Megaderma spasma
The lesser false vampire bat has a wingspan of up to 30 centimetres. The fur is very long and fluffy, and varies in colour from grey to brown.
The lesser false vampire bat is widely distributed across Southern and Southeast Asia, from India to Indonesia and the Philippines.
Great series Marek,congrats on the well deserved SOTD and thanks for sharing
Congratulations Marek, your Lesser False Vampire Bat has been voted Spotting of the Week!
What would make your spotting even better is if, under Habitat, you could describe as per our guidelines the actual habitat where your spotting was made, rather than range or generic habitat (this type of information is found in the references you provide in the reference fields). Many thanks in advance!
"Meet the Lesser False Vampire Bat (Megaderma spasma), our Spotting of the Week! Originally mistaken for true vampire bats (Desmodus rotundas), the two species of bats in the genus Megaderma are found in South and Southeast Asia and are actually not blood suckers. This image allows to appreciate the fine structures of the bat's very large outer ear pinnae, which are important for the animal's biosonar system. Also well visible is the bat's noseleaf with its two flaps on the side; these have a role in modifying and directing echolocation calls. This species eats some crop pests, but may also carry and transmit some diseases. The spotting won the vote of our rangers' team with its series of good quality pictures, which may help promote a better understanding and appreciation of bats.
Check out our Bat Monitoring Project mission, full of amazing bat images including some recently discovered species: https://buff.ly/2BmhiQj "
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I was actually looking at this other bat spotting too. Features not as bold or clear as this spotting, but I'll have another look.
Maybe you could help me with this bat also Neil
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/167...
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!
And another excellent link - http://www.arkive.org/lesser-false-vampi... Great info and photos. Look under "range" for several subspecies, and several synonyms for this species too. Another common name is Common Asian ghost bat.
Oh wow, how amazing! Great spotting, Marek. Let's see if we can ID this fellow. He's a beautiful one too.
Spotted on Dec 15, 2017
Submitted on Dec 15, 2017
