Meghalay yields India’s first bamboo-dwelling bat

  • IASbaba
  • April 19, 2021
  • 0
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Meghalay yields India’s first bamboo-dwelling bat

Part of: GS Prelims and GS – III – Environment; Biodiversity 

In news

  • Meghalaya has yielded India’s first bamboo-dwelling bat with sticky discs. 
  • The count of the bats in India has reached now to 130.

Key takeaways 

  • The disc-footed bat (Eudiscopus denticulus) was recorded near the Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary. 
  • The extent of adaptation for bamboo habitat in this species is not seen in the others.
  • The flattened skull and sticky pads enabled the bats to roost inside cramped spaces, clinging to smooth surfaces such as bamboo internodes. 
  • The disc-footed bat was also found to be genetically very different from all other known bats bearing disc-like pads.
  • Scientists analysed the very high frequency echolocation calls of the disc-footed bat, which was suitable for orientation in a cluttered environment such as inside bamboo groves.
  • It has raised Meghalaya’s bat count to 66, the most for any State in India. 
  • It has also helped add a genus and species to the bat fauna of India.

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