Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
ONE of the largest bats in the world, the mottle-winged flying fox (Desmalopex leucopterus), has been seen in the Masungi landscape. This was confirmed by mammal researchers Maria Dichoso and Joel Sarmiento. It is the first time this elusive flying fox was documented in Rizal province. The sighting occurred a few days into a research expedition supported by the Canadian embassy through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives and the Buhay-Ilang research team.
The flying fox belongs to a genus of bats that can only be seen in the Philippines and is endemic to Luzon. It has medium to pale brown wings with white blotches on the edge of the wing and around the wingtip. Its resembles a fox in appearance, hence the name, but is actually a bat. The mottle-winged flying fox resides in mountainous and forested areas in Luzon. Scientists have collected their specimen at the Dalton Pass. There have been accounts of their sighting in Balbalasang, Kalinga province, which hints at their seasonal movement.
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