Rare ‘Orange Bat’ Spotted in Bastar’s Kanger Valley National Park in Chhattisgarh.

January 21, 2023

A rare orange-coloured bat, which is a “near threatened” species, has been spotted in Chhattisgarh.
The animal, also known as the ‘painted bat’ and characterised by bright orange and black wings, was sighted at a banana farm in Parali Bodal village of the park on Monday
The bright orange-coloured bat was seen for the third time in the last few years in the Kanger Valley National Park located in the Bastar district.
The national park is famous for its limestone caves which also provide a suitable habitat for bats, as per experts.
The painted bat, whose scientific name is ‘Kerivoula picta’, is a “near threatened” species and commonly seen in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam, Ganvir said.
The painted bats are aerial hawkers, which means they catch insects while flying in the air. It is often observed at the time of maize harvest
The park, spread over an area of about 200 sq km, is rich in biodiversity and sightings of some of the rare species of fauna were reported multiple times in the past.
These bats prefer to live in dry areas and dense moist forests. For roosting, they prefer to take shelter under banana leaves.
The painted bat is characterised by bright orange and black wings, dense orange fur on the back and warm buff below. Their hairy face has no ornamentation or nose leaf. Their ears are large and funnel-shaped with transparent tragus.
In India, there are about 131 species of bats and 31 of them are found in central parts of the country.