Crucial pollinators: (Above and below) Two types of bats found in Sabah. — Photos courtesy of Dr Charles
Conservationists warn that the decline could hurt forest ecosystem
KOTA KINABALU: Flying foxes, or fruit bats as they are locally known, are disappearing rapidly due to misconceptions about medicinal properties and being hunted for food, a conservationist warns.
1StopBorneo Wildlife founder Shavez Cheema said the species, believed to be the largest fruit bat in Sabah and possibly the world, has seen a sharp decline in numbers based on ground observations.
He said misconceptions persist among some people, including the belief that flying foxes have medicinal value and can cure asthma.
Others consume the bats as exotic meals or snacks, he added.
Describing them as the “hornbills of the night”, Shavez said flying foxes play a similar ecological role as hornbills by travelling long distances nightly in search of food.
He explained that bats are among the most diverse groups of mammals in the world and provide significant ecological benefits to rainforest ecosystems.
“There are about 100 known bat species in Borneo, some found nowhere else in the world, but most people know very little about them.
“In reality, bats are harmless to humans and play vital roles in tropical forests, particularly in seed dispersal,” he said.
Shavez said fruit bats from the Pteropodidae family feed mainly on fruits, nectar and pollen.
“There are 18 fruit bat species in Borneo, including in Brunei and other Bornean regions, ranging from the spotted-winged fruit bat, which weighs as little as 10g, to the large flying fox, which can weigh more than 1kg and has a wingspan of up to 1.5m,” he said.
When bats feed on fruiting trees such as figs, they help disperse seeds throughout the forest, he said.
Larger fruits are often carried to different trees so bats can feed undisturbed, dropping the seeds in new locations.
Smaller fruits are eaten whole, with seeds dispersed through droppings, sometimes several kilometres from the parent tree.
Shavez said different fruit bat species specialise in different food sources.
Smaller species such as the spotted-winged fruit bat feed on understorey shrubs and small trees, helping disperse seeds within the forest.
The island flying fox, meanwhile, plays a crucial role alongside pigeons and hornbills in spreading the seeds of fruiting trees from the mainland to offshore islands.
Dog-faced fruit bats feed on secondary forest trees with small fruits, supporting forest regeneration in disturbed areas.
“Some species, such as the large flying fox, will occasionally feed in fruit orchards, including rambutan trees, which farmers may not appreciate.
“However, without these bats, many of the fruits humans enjoy would not exist, as they evolved to be dispersed by mammals such as fruit bats and primates,” Shavez explained.
Figs are also a key food source for many fruit bat species and attract other animals such as civets and katydids, which may in turn attract flying squirrels.
“These interactions are interconnected and vital for maintaining healthy ecosystems, pollination and complete food chains,” Shavez said.
Borneo bat expert Dr Charles Francis said most of the remaining 80-plus bat species in Borneo are insectivorous, with each species having specialised feeding habits.
“Some small woolly bats, weighing as little as 2g, fly slowly through the forest understorey, catching insects using echolocation.
“Certain species even specialise in catching spiders from their webs by hovering briefly before grabbing them,” he added.
He said insect-eating bats help control populations of mosquitoes, crickets and mantis, among other insects.
