Megabat long, thus smaller than some microbats, for example, the Mauritian tomb bat. The largest attain a wingspan of , and weigh as much as . Most fruit bats have large eyes, allowing them to orient themselves visually in twilight and inside caves and forests. Their sense of smell is excellent. In contrast to the microbats, the fruit bats do not use echolocation (with one exception, the Egyptian fruit bat "Rousettus egyptiacus", which uses high-pitched tongue clicks to navigate in caves). Megabats make up the only family (Pteropodidae) in order Chiroptera that is not capable of laryngeal echolocation. Echolocation and flight
Mauritian tomb bat consumes it while in flight. Their preferred food is moths, though during daylight hours they will prey upon butterflies and termites. In regions where the bats live, they often are a factor in keeping pest populations down. This is important since the bats inhabit areas often plagued by insect-borne diseases such as malaria. They usually wait for complete darkness before foraging. Over open areas, they can detect their prey at long ranges. They periodically make dives when hunting, and with each dive, they increase the rate of echolocation. The bats use audible calls to communicate with each other. When at