Whiskered Myotis bat roosting inside rolled up leaf of banana plant

This Whiskered Myotis (Myotis muricola) bat (above) was found roosting inside the central rolled up leaf of my banana plant (Musa ‘Pisang Raja’) yesterday afternoon. The young banana plant was barely higher than myself (below) so it was easy to peep inside the rolled leaf.

This bat is a small nocturnal insectivorous species commonly found around Singapore. Its favourite roosting spots are the inside of the young newly unfolding young banana leaves.

I managed to video the bat’s exit from the rolled leaf at around 7.40 pm just as the sky turned dark.

The next day the leaf was totally unfolded and would not attract any more bats until the next leaf emerges from the centre of the banana stem.

YC Wee
Singapore
24th July 2017