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There is a old Banyan tree in front of Jiaganj Museum at Murshidabad , West Bengal.This Bat colony resides there for years. They are The Largest Indian Bats, and one of the largest in the bat family of the planet. Mega bats, indeed.

The Indian flying fox (Pteropus medius, formerly Pteropus giganteus), also known as the greater Indian fruit bat, is a species of flying fox found in South Asia. It is one of the largest bats in the world. It is of interest as a disease vector, as it is capable of transmitting several viruses to humans. It is nocturnal and feeds mainly on ripe fruits, such as mangoes and bananas, and nectar. This species is often regarded as vermin due to its destructive tendencies towards fruit farms, but the benefits of its pollination and seed propagation often outweigh the impacts of its fruit consumption. The Indian flying fox is India's largest bat, and one of the largest bats in the world, weighing up to 1.6 kg . The wings rise from the side of the dorsum and from the back of the second toe, and its thumb has a powerful claw. It has claws on only its first two digits of its wings, with the thumb possessing the more powerful claw, and all five digits of its leg.It lacks a tail. The Indian flying fox is frugivorous or nectarivorous, i.e., they eat fruits or drink nectar from flowers. They vocalize to greet members of the same colony, ward off intruders and indicate the location of food sources. During the mating season, from July to October, female bats vocalize in the process of resisting advancement of males trying to copulate them. Males on the other hand are vocal in the post-copulation period, when they follow the females for a while.
Though bats are famed for their use of bio-sonar technology to navigate, interestingly, Flying Foxes do not echo locate. Instead, they rely on good vision and their sense of smell for orientation and locating food sources. Further, these bats possess dichromatic color (daylight) vision, commonly seen in other mammals but absent in echo locating bats. This type of vision is thought to facilitate navigation at dusk. Flying Foxes take off from the roost and travel long distances in search of food, sometimes as far as 100 kilometers. They feed on a wide range of flowers, leaves and fruits, both wild and cultivated. Figs (Ficus spp) make up a large proportion of their diet. Some individuals have been observed to spend as long as eight hours at a stretch on a single Ficus tree at its peak fruiting. These Fruit Bats are also known to devour commercially important fruits such as Betel nut, Mango, Guava, Papaya and Banana. In lean times, when fruits aren’t as readily available, they feed on the leaves of trees like Peepal and the Indian Coral Tree.
Feeding may take place at the fruiting tree itself or by carrying fruits to more secure spots or the roosting site. It’s the fleshy part of the fruit that gets consumed. The other components like seeds get discarded while feeding or by excretion. This is turn helps in the dispersal of seeds over short as well as long distances. Bats are also prime pollinators of some nectar-producing plants that flower only at night (e.g. White Silk Cotton Tree, Banana).
As key agents of seed dispersal and pollination, Flying Foxes are thus vital for the regeneration of trees in forests and urban areas. Moreover, their droppings named guano, are considered as a rich fertilizer and are collected in various places.

Videography By : Nandan Paul
Audio: Youtube Audio Library
Track : Adrift, By ELPHNT
Edited By : Nandan Paul
A MOTHER NATURE PRESENTATION