Leschenault's rousette

A medium-sized fruit bat (family Pteropodidae) ranging from Pakistan and India through Southeast Asia to southern China. Adults weigh 60–120 g with a wingspan of 40–50 cm. Fur is grayish-brown to tawny. They are notable among Old World fruit bats for possessing a primitive form of echolocation—they produce clicks with the tongue rather than the larynx—supplementing their vision and olfaction for navigating dark cave roosts. They roost in large colonies (thousands to tens of thousands) in caves, abandoned buildings, and temples. They are nocturnal frugivores and nectarivores, feeding on figs, bananas, guavas, mangoes, and nectar, playing important roles as pollinators and seed dispersers in tropical ecosystems. They can fly 20+ km per night to forage. They have been identified as natural reservoir hosts for Nipah-like viruses, coronaviruses, and other potentially zoonotic pathogens. Females give birth to one pup per litter, with 1–2 breeding cycles per year. Gestation is ~115–125 days. Lifespan: up to 20+ years. IUCN: Least Concern.