Mottle-Winged Flying Fox Sighted in Rizal Province for the First Time
On a Masungi research expedition that started on August 1, Project Lead Mariah Dichoso and Mammals Expert Joel Sarmiento have reported that they were able to record the elusive Mottle-Winged Flying Fox (Scientific name: "Desmalopex leucopterus"), a first in the Rizal province.
The Mottle-winged Flying Fox is commonly found in Luzon, Mindoro, and Dinagat, occupying spaces up in hilly and forested regions. It is part of a genus of bats that are only found in the Philippines.
We may remember that its cousin, the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox (Scientific name: "Acerodon jubatus"), trended sometime in 2018 after images of the gigantic bat was seen sleeping down.
Known as some of the largest bats in the world, the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox and the Mottle-Winged Flying Fox both come from the Pteropodidae family. These bats found in the georeserve are characterized by their pale brown wings with white blotches, usually weighing at about 250 to 375 grams at having a length of roughly 185 to 240 millimeters.
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“It says a lot about Masungi to see this type of flying fox as it tends to forage in smaller groups and in cluttered canopies to lessen their exposure to predators," said Dichoso. "There is an abundance of food resources found in Masungi which the flying foxes use as a foraging site. This indicates Masungi is protected and has a healthy forest within its borders."
Her team recorded a total of 21 bat species. Six of them are fruit-eating bats while 15 are insect-eating. Together with the Mottle-Winged Flying Fox, 11 other new records of bat species had been found.
The group's Mammals Team had first done a research expedition back in February 2022, and had seen an unidentified bat species around the Masungi Georeserve region. It is only now that they have finally confirmed the presence of the Mottle-Winged Flying Fox.
For more information, visit the official Masungi Georeserve website.
