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| Wroughton’s Free-tailed Bat (Otomops wroughtoni) [Image:By Kalyanvarma (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons] |
Researchers located three new roosts of the rare Wroughton’s Free-tailed Bat (Otomops wroughtoni), from Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya in the North Eastern India. According to the researchers, this rare bat species is so far known only by three records –from Meghalaya, Western Ghats of India and from Cambodia.
The researchers have spotted the bat colonies while
undertaking an exploration facilitated by the Meghalaya Adventures Association
to identify new caves in the south-western parts of the Jaintia Hills in
Meghalaya. While exploring these caves which are located in a 15 kilometer
radius around the village Lakadong, the researchers have found different bat species
in 13 caves. Among these, they were able to spot Wroughton’s Free-tailed Bat from
two caves situated near Pynurkba and Umlatdoh villages. Though they were able
to detect the sound signals of the bats from a third cave, they were not able
to spot the bats since it was a very narrow crevice. According to the account
of the researchers, which is published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa, the
roosts have at least 90 members.
