Lyle’s Flying Foxes At Wat Chantaram

Many of Thai children used to hear this guessing game’s question, “What is a bird with ears and a rat with wings?” The answer cannot be something else but bat. We all know that bats are very unique animal because of their weird hunting time and way of life. Even though it is quite hard for us to see the lives of bats, but for those who are interested to see that, Wat Chantaram is the answer. Wat Chantaram is an old temple surrounded by dense trees acting as a perfect habitat from Lyle’s flying foxes and many species of birds for many generations. Lyle’s flying fox is a species of bats that is different from other kinds of bats we have seen. They are bigger than usual bats and have two colors on their bodies; light brown at their bodies and wings and black at their legs. Each leg can be over 80-90 centimeters long. So we can see that they are quite big bats. Lyle’s flying foxes hunt at night and hang on black trees’ branches during day time, making the area look all black from afar. Those who interested can see the Lyle’s flying foxes’ lives here in every season. Many people might have learnt that bats are ferocious and frightening creatures. But, they would change their minds after seeing charm and cuteness of these Lyle’s flying foxes. However, tourists have to be careful not to wake these hanging bats and careful when standing under these trees while the bats are resting as they might release their body wastes with unpleasant smell on you when you are unaware.