In situ feeding tactics of short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx) on mango fruits: evidence of extractive foraging in a flying mammal

被引:0
作者
Natarajan Singaravelan
Ganapathy Marimuthu
机构
[1] Madurai Kamaraj University,Department of Animal Behavior and Physiology, School of Biological Sciences
[2] University of Haifa,Institute of Evolution
来源
Journal of Ethology | 2008年 / 26卷
关键词
Fruit processing behaviors; Extractive foraging; Technical intelligence;
D O I
暂无
中图分类号
学科分类号
摘要
We report a sequence of behaviors exhibited by the short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx while feeding on fruits of Mangifera indica. They peel off the outer skin to form a feeding area of about 3–6 cm diameter. Such food preparatory behaviors were more pronounced on larger mangoes. Bats competed among themselves to feed on the mangoes that had such feeding areas exposed. Individuals that spent a considerable amount of time on food preparatory behaviors actively secured the fruits. Altogether, these behaviors indicate that Cynopterus bats might have learnt, over evolutionary time, and developed behaviors that facilitate efficient processing and feeding of fruits such as mangoes. It appears that actions exhibited by C. sphinx in peeling off the outer skin of mangoes exemplify “extractive foraging”, a behavior that is prominently known in large-brained mammals. Thus, our findings will have implications on the distribution and evolution of extractive foraging and “technical intelligence” among mammalian lineages.
引用
收藏
相关论文
共 34 条
[31]  
Vandoros JD(undefined)undefined undefined undefined undefined-undefined
[32]  
Dumont ER(undefined)undefined undefined undefined undefined-undefined
[33]  
Wheatley BP(undefined)undefined undefined undefined undefined-undefined
[34]  
Yamashita N(undefined)undefined undefined undefined undefined-undefined