Davao, Philippines.

a.k.a. megabats, fruit bats, old world fruit bats, or flying foxes.

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CHALLENGE WINNER: Two Eyes Challenge in The Weekend Photographer – 2 June 2010 (1st Place out of 128 entries)

Featured in All Creatured Great & Small – 19 Jan 2011

Featured in Paws n Claws…All Animals – 4 Jun 2010

Featured in Selective Coloring – 21 May 2010

Featured in The Male Photographer – 21 May 2010

Top Ten in Things With Wings Challenge in The World Group – 13 Dec 2010 (4th Place out of 82 entries)

Top Ten in Selective Coloring Animal Eyes Challenge in Paws N Claws…All Animals – 21 Jun 2010 (4th Place out of 32 entries)

The megabat, contrary to its name, is not always large: the smallest species is 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) long and thus smaller than some microbats. The largest reach 40 cm (16 inches) in length and attain a wingspan of 150 cm (5 feet), weighing in at nearly 1 kg (2.2 pounds). Most fruit bats have large eyes, allowing them to orient visually in the twilight of dusk and inside caves and forests.

Their sense of smell is excellent. In contrast to the microbats, the fruit bats do not, as a rule, use echolocation (with one exception, the Egyptian fruit bat Rousettus egyptiacus, which uses high-pitched clicks to navigate in caves).

Fruit bats are frugivorous or nectarivorous, i.e., they eat fruits or lick nectar from flowers. Often the fruits are crushed and only the juices consumed. The teeth are adapted to bite through hard fruit skins. Large fruit bats must land in order to eat fruit, while the smaller species are able to hover with flapping wings in front of a flower or fruit. (Source: Wikipedia)

Nikon D60, 18-55 mm lens, handheld, f/5.6, 1/30, ISO 400, exp 0 step, focal length 55 mm, no flash

selective colour, background & contrast adjustments using PS