Wildlifeof Thailand
Sundaic Black-capped Fruit Bat
Pteropodidae
Photo: Muhammad Imam R · CC BY 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Chironax melanocephalus
Basic stats
Diet
Fruit
Habitat
Lowland and montane rainforest
Range
Peninsular Thailand and Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo
The Sundaic black-capped fruit bat is a small pteropodid with a dark crown contrasting with a paler brown body, large eyes and a short muzzle. It lacks the elaborate noseleaf of insect-eating horseshoe bats. Its Sundaic range includes peninsular Thailand and Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo (Mammal Diversity Database; regional bat field guide).
It inhabits lowland and montane rainforest and feeds on fruit, contributing to seed movement through the forest. Records frequently come from mist-net surveys in the understorey. Species-specific reproductive measurements are not consistently available across its range and are omitted rather than generalized from other fruit bats (regional bat field guide; Mammal Diversity Database). It is Nationally Least Concern (Thailand Red Data 2025).
Quick answers
- What does the Sundaic Black-capped Fruit Bat eat?
- Fruit
- What habitat does the Sundaic Black-capped Fruit Bat live in?
- Lowland and montane rainforest
- Where is the Sundaic Black-capped Fruit Bat found?
- Peninsular Thailand and Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo