Abstract
The dietary composition of the Black-bearded Tomb Bat Taphozous melanopogon Temminck, 1841 (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) from two different habitats was analyzed following faecal pellet analysis method. Representative of 11 insect order and spiders (Araneidae) contributed to the diet. Forest bats fed on 1-9 insect orders and araneids indicating opportunistic feeding behaviour, while th esemi-urban bata fed on 3-8 insect orders and araneids indicating selective feeding behaviour. Although both the forest bats and semi-urban bats fed on the same spectrum of insect preythey showed differential use of them. Forest bats fed predominately on Coleoptera, Homoptera, Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera, Odonata and Araneidae, while the semi-urban bats preferred Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Orthoptera, Odonata, Hemkptera, Araneidae and Homoptera. Variation in terms of consumption of a particular kind of insect prey between the sexes was evident only among the semi urban bats only with respect to the most significant prey items - coleopterans, lepidopterans and dipterans.