Cheiromeles torquatus
hairless bat

Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Philippines. Also recorded from the islands of Penang, Singapore and Tioman.

Naked bats roost in hollow trees, caves, buildings, rock crevices, and holes in the earth.

The naked bat is a striking member of the Molossidae. It is virtually hairless, except for short, fine hairs on the head and tail membrane, and black, bristly hairs around the neck, on the first toe of the hind foot (probably used for grooming) and on the throat sack, which produces a strong-smelling secretion. Males secrete the substance by a series of small pores, females by a single large orifice (Lekagul and McNeely, 1977). Both sexes also possess a pouch along the sides of the body, formed by a fold of skin that runs from the upper arm to the upper part of the leg. The pouches open towards the rear and the wings are pushed into them by the hind feet. In this way, the bat can move about relatively freely on all four limbs. C. torquatus has the thickest jaws, widest face, and some of the broadest-tipped wings in the entire family. The head is relatively large and broad with a well-developed posterior sagittal crest. Unlike most Molossidae, the ears are separate, small and triangular, and the lips are smooth. The muzzle lacks a noseleaf and the snout projects well beyond the bottom jaw. The thick, elastic skin is almost black and contains many wrinkles and folds. The thick tail protrudes well over half its length. The wings are attached to the midpoint of the back. The first toe of each hind foot is opposable and equipped with a flattened nail rather than a claw. The dental formula is 1/1, 1/1, 1/2, 3/3 x 2 = 26. The upper incisors are robust, short and protrude forward. There is a diastema between the upper incisor and canine (Lekagul and McNeely, 1977). Head and body: 132-145 mm; tail: 56-71 mm. Weight: 167-196 grams.

C. torquatus is gregarious, as roosts of nearly a thousand are found and a colony in a cave in Borneo totaled 20,000 (Nowak, 1991). They leave their roost early in the evening, and feed quickly and directly, more boldly than smaller bats which move cautiously to avoid predators such as owls and bat hawks. They use echolocation to hunt for food, and clicking sounds are audible during echolocation.

C. torquatus is insectivorous. The diet primarily consists of termites and other insects, hunted either over clearings and fields or above the forest canopy. Wastes are eliminated as both feces and oral pellets.

Farmers in Malaya believe that C. torquatus feeds on paddy, gathering grain from ripe ears to store in the roost. However, it is more likely that rats, which share this habitat with bats, are responsible for the grain found inside hollow trees (Medway, 1978).

Since C. torquatus live in large numbers they consume vast quantities of insect pests.

Listed as Lower Risk/Near Threatened by the International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

For excellent photos of C. torquatus, visit Walker's Mammals of the World online at

http://www.press.jhu.edu/books/walker/chiroptera/images/image.chiroptera.molossidae.cheiromeles.html