Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat

Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat

Cynopterus sphinx

Silhouette: Baheerathan Murugavel · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Tuen Mun

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

60 Verified sightings at Tuen Mun
15 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat

The greater short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx), or short-nosed Indian fruit bat, is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae found in South and Southeast Asia. These bats have a relatively long snout. Their upper parts are brown to grey-brown with paler under parts. The fur is very fine and silky. The ears and wing bones of C. sphinx are edged in white. Lower cheek teeth rounded without accessory cusps. The wingspan of the adult is about 48 cm (19 in). Juveniles are lighter than adults. Average forearm length is 70.2 mm (2.76 in), with a range of 64–79 mm (2.5–3.1 in).

The greater short-nosed fruit bat is found from Pakistan to Vietnam. It is common in tropical forests and areas where fruit crops are cultivated. They can also be found in grasslands and mangrove forests. They typically nest high in palm trees. The bats chew the fronds of the palms to construct fairly simple tents. These bats are also known to construct tents by closely interweaving the leaves and twigs of creeping vines which cover buildings, but such nests are constructed only when palms are not available.

The greater short-nosed fruit bat is... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:16

Hong Kong SAR China · 2023

© Lawrence Hylton · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~20%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tuen Mun 🇨🇳 China
~20%
2 Hong Kong 🇨🇳 China
~10%
3 Guangzhou 🇨🇳 China
~10%
4 Bengaluru 🇮🇳 India
~10%
5 Bangkok 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China In captivity
2 Berlin Zoological Garden 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
3 Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens 🇨🇳 China In captivity
4 Aquarium Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat in Tuen Mun?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat sighting in Tuen Mun on a given day, based on 60 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat in Tuen Mun?

February and July

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat in Tuen Mun on a given day, against under 5% in March, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Tuen Mun the best place to see a Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat?

Yes

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat sightings, Tuen Mun has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Hong Kong (China, about 10%) and Guangzhou (China, about 10%).

Where does the Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Tuen Mun (60 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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