
Photo: (c) kalyanvarma, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (May be cropped or resized)
Otomops wroughtoni
Habitat
Caves; narrow gaps and deep hollows in cave roofs
Range
Western Ghats (Karnataka), and Meghalaya in north-east India; also Cambodia
Litter size
1 young a year
Size
Forearm 63–67mm
Wroughton's free-tailed bat has a forearm of 63–67 mm, large forward-pointing ears connected by a membrane over the forehead, and a pale greyish-white shoulder and nape. It was long thought to be confined to the Western Ghats of India but has also been reported from north-east India and a remote part of Cambodia. Females are thought to have one litter a year, of a single young (Wikipedia, general species account).
In India it is found in two locations in Karnataka, including the Barapede Caves in Belgaum district near Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, which was for years the only known site, and in Meghalaya, pending confirmation. It roosts upside down in caves by day, in small groups of usually five to seven in narrow gaps and deep hollows in the cave roofs, and is active at night. Its diet is unknown but probably insects, as in other free-tailed bats (Wikipedia, general species account).