"We found a colony of fruit bats in a tree next to our house (20km east of Pilgrim’s Rest). We are not sure if they are Wahlberg’s or Peter’s Epauletted Fruit Bats. There were twelve of them in total, mainly in two groups but two of the larger bats were roosting a few feet away from the groups."

Steve Burrow. 28/03/2007
See comment below picture

picture084b.jpg

Comment: To distinguish between Wahlberg's & Peter's  bat it is necessary to open the mouth and look at the palatial ridges at the back of the mouth to identify the species. The Wahlberg's has one ridge behind the molar teeth while the Peter's bat (Gambian) has two ridges. Mature males have a white shoulder pad as well as a brown discolouration of the skin in the vicinity of the testes. Source: ' Bats of Southern Africa' by Peter J Taylor.

Photo by Steve Burrow. 28/03/2007

Photo album created by NeuWebz