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lack wing membrane is the most beautifully coloured among Indian bats.
Though perhaps a common species in the heavy rainfall districts of the
Konkan it is rarely seen. It is believed to roost singly or in pairs among
dried banana and other large leaves. The flight is moth-like. Another
species of vespertilionid which may occur in Maharashtra is the Clubfooted
BatTylonycteris pachypuswhich has been recorded from Belgaum.
The fur is golden rufous in colour and the soles of the feet are expanded
into fleshy pads, used, it is believed, for holding to the inside walls of
hollow bamboos where they roost in small colonies of ten to twenty.
Order Primates
Apes and monkeys which in many structural and other features
resemble man are grouped along with him in the order Primates.
Characteristic features are the development of limbs into grasping organs
and the high development of the brain among the more highly evolved
monkeys and apes culminating in the mental evolution in man which sets
him apart from other animals. Apes and monkeys usually live in troops of
varying size.
Two families Cercopithicidae and Colobidae, each represented by a
single speciesMacaca radiataandPresbytis entellusrespectively, occur in
Maharashtra. The Bonnet Macaque,Macacaradiata, a peninsular form is
not uncommon in the State from Bombay southwards. Troops of this
medium sized long tailed Macaque occur in forests, in the countryside and
where they are not molested around human settlements. They are
omnivorous and are often destructive in Orchards and cultivation. The
Common Langur (Presbytis entellus) a long limbed, long-tailed monkey
with the grey body in striking contrast to the black face is not uncommon
in forests as well as in nearby towns and villages. Langurs live mainly on
fruits, flower buds, and leaves and are destructive when living in the
vicinity of orchards and cultivation.
The Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta) of northern India is likely to
occur in the north-eastern Vidarbha districts of the State. A troop, probably
escape from captivity, occurs in the Powai lake area of Salsette Island. The
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