van der Westhuyzen J
S Afr J Med Sci. 1976;41(4):271-8.
An electrical apparatus was designed to record continuously the feeding activity of either a colony of 30 fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) or single bats in captivity. The endogenous feeding activity rhythm was synchronized by change in the external light-dark cycle. During June to August (winter), the bats consumed an average of 96 g sliced banana, equal to 76 g wet weight/100 g body weight per 24 hours or 15 g dry weight/100 g body weight per 24 hours. The feeding period began shortly after sunset and continued for 10,6 h. Feeding consisted of 6-14 separate small meals. The mean or overall feeding rate was 9,1 g banana/h, and the feeding rate during the first 3 h, 13,1 g/h. The bat regulated its food intake by varying the rate of food consumption and not by changing the duration of the feeding period. It is suggested that clustering of the bats may influence the caloric intake by reducing the energetic cost of thermoregulation.
设计了一种电子设备，用于连续记录30只果蝠（埃及果蝠）群体或圈养的单只果蝠的进食活动。内源性进食活动节律通过外部明暗周期的变化来同步。在6月至8月（冬季）期间，蝙蝠平均消耗96克切片香蕉，相当于每24小时76克湿重/100克体重或每24小时15克干重/100克体重。进食期在日落后不久开始，持续10.6小时。进食由6 - 14次单独的小餐组成。平均或总体进食速率为9.1克香蕉/小时，前3小时的进食速率为13.1克/小时。蝙蝠通过改变食物消耗速率而非改变进食期的持续时间来调节食物摄入量。有人认为，蝙蝠聚集在一起可能通过降低体温调节的能量成本来影响热量摄入。
