Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bat

conservation

Conservation: IUCN / SSC Action Plan (1992) – Not Threatened. IUCN 2003 – Lower Risk (lc).

Order Chiroptera - Family Pteropodidae

activity

Activity patterns. The Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bat is nocturnal, roosting in foliage during the day. Because of cryptic coloration on wings, it is well camouflaged in dense foliage where it roosts. Roosts are generally within 200 m of foraging sites. It is able to enter torpor to save energy by lowering body temperature by as much as 8 ° C, and it can exit torpor and elevate its metabolic rate within 20 seconds. Although it can enter torpor, it rarely does and seems to be very efficient in energy use, using very little energy when moving between roosting and foraging areas. Basal metabolic rate was measured at 54 - 7 ml O, / hour (similar to other Pteropodidae), which is highly affected by ambient temperatures and decreases moderately during tropical winters, indicating very low thermoregulatory cost in winter. Average body temperature over 24 hours was 36 ° C and increased throughout the night, peakingjust before returning to the roost. Average body temperature seemed to change with lunar phase in one study, becoming higher in darker moon phases and lower in brighter moon phases, which generally matches other bat species. Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bats are maneuverable in fl

Pteropodidae

biology_ecology

Habitat. Tropical rainforests, preferring mature primary forest rather than secondary regrowth forest, subtropical forests, complex notophyll vine forests, and araucarian notophyll vine forests. Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bats appear to favor streamside habitats in coastal rainforest and moist eucalypt forests with well-developed understories.

Pteropodidae

biology_ecology

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bats primarily roost alone, but they occasionally roost communally in small groups (and there is debate as to which is normal). Roosting sites change often because roosts are chosen opportunistically, but individuals usually remain in the same general small area for months or years. Some individuals roosted in the same tree that they had foraged in the night before. They are generally not aggressive toward one another unless one is holding food, and there is no evidence of territoriality. Individuals kept together in a small space in captivity were generally aggressive toward each other regardless of gender, but one male and one female seemed to get along and even roosted embracing each other. They generally seem to forage alone but have been observed in large congregations in some foraging locations at night.

Pteropodidae