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| This is the moment a cheeky bat stuck his tongue out for the camera (Photo: Devendra Dube / SWNS) |
This is the moment a cheeky bat stuck his tongue out for the camera after a cool dip in a lake to escape India's searing summer.
Thousands of Indian Flying Fox bats have moved to the edge of the Upper Lake in Bhopal, India, as temperatures soar past 45C.
A few times a day the fruit bats swoop from the branches of the surrounding trees and belly flop into the water to cool down before 'hanging up to dry'.
Bats are warm blooded mammals and - like humans - face death from dehydration if temperatures rise over 45 degrees.
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| One of Devendra Dube's pictures of bats in Bhopal (Photo: Devendra Dube / SWNS) |
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| A bat takes a cool dip in Bhopal (Photo: Devendra Dube / SWNS) |
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| Thousands of bats are trying to escape the heat (Photo: Devendra Dube / SWNS) |
Fruit bats have very long tongues that unroll when they are feeding, and are tucked away internally around the rib cage when not in use.
Photographer Devendra Dube witnessed the amazing scenes earlier this week.
He said: "If the temperature is more then 45 degrees the bats fall down from trees and die in large numbers - this happened last year.
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| Bats in Bhopal (Photo: Devendra Dube / SWNS) |
"They do this many times a day to stay cool.
"At the end of the Summer these bats migrates to the jungle near Bhopal and come back after rain."
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