Dietary analysis of the Indian Flying Fox Pteropus giganteus (Brunnich, 1782) (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) in Myanmar through the analysis of faecal and chewed remnants

Abstract

The diet of Indian Flying Fox Pteropus giganteus in southern Myanmar was analyzed from June 2017 to April 2018. Food resources were identified by collecting faeces, food remnants, and rejecta pellets beneath day roosts. Pteropus giganteus consumed fruits, flowers, and leaves of 14 species of plants. Six species of fruits were found in the faeces below the day roosts, 13 species of fruits and two species of leaves in the rejecta, and seven species of fruits and one species of leaf at the day roost. These observations indicate that P. giganteus is a phytophagous bat with rapid intestinal passage.