fruit bat

American  

noun

1. any fruit-eating bat, especially of the suborder Megachiroptera, of tropical regions throughout the Old World, typically having erect, catlike ears and large eyes adapted for night vision, and either tailless or with a rudimentary tail, the numerous species ranging in wingspan from 10 inches to 5 feet (25 centimeters to 1.5 meters).

---

fruit bat British  

noun

1. any large Old World bat of the suborder Megachiroptera , occurring in tropical and subtropical regions and feeding on fruit Compare insectivorous bat

---

Etymology

Origin of fruit bat

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

They found that the fruit bat pancreas, compared to the pancreas of an insect-eating bat, had extra insulin-producing cells as well as genetic changes to help it process an immense amount of sugar.

From Science Daily • Jan. 9, 2024

Endangered Species Act due to extinction, including a fruit bat, two types of fish, eight types of mussels and 10 birds.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 26, 2023

Among the species now considered officially extinct, there is one mammal, a fruit bat formerly found in Guam, and two species of fish.

From Washington Times • Oct. 17, 2023

Here, a fruit bat called the flying fox exists alongside mangrove trees, helping to pollinate them.

From National Geographic • Oct. 2, 2023

Just last week he’d ushered five souls into the Afterlife: two rabbits and an elk to Pleasure, an old songbird to Progress, and a fruit bat to Peace.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman