Flying foxes, the largest members of the bat family, are extraordinary creatures that inhabit tropical and subtropical regions across Asia, Australia, and the Pacific islands. With wingspans reaching over 1.5 metres and sharp night vision, these fruit bats play a crucial role in maintaining forest ecosystems.
What are flying foxes?
Flying foxes are big tropical bats that tend to roost in large numbers and mainly feed on fruit, pollen and nectar. They play a crucial ecological role as pollinators (as they eat pollen sticks to their fur) and seed dispersers (via excretion), and are responsible for maintaining high plant diversity in the primary forest habitats that they live in.
Why are they called flying foxes?
They have heads that resemble a fox with pointed ears and large eyes. These mammals belong to the genus Pteropus (considered to be “true” flying foxes), which is part of the megabat family Pteropodidae. Flying fox translates to "winged foot".
According to the Australian Conservation Foundation, Pteropus derives from the Greek word "pteron", meaning "winged", and "pus" meaning "foot". Acerodon species are also often referred to as flying foxes and are part of the Pteropodidae family.
What do flying foxes look like?
As well as large wings and a fox-like face with big eyes they have woolly fur and clawed feet and thumbs. Coloration varies as it depends on species. They don't have a tail.
How big are flying foxes?
According to the Guinness World Records, flying foxes are the largest bats in the world: “The biggest are generally considered to be the Indian flying fox (Pteropus giganteus) and the giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus).”
Several species in the genera Pteropusand Acerodon have a head-body length of up to 45cm, a wingspan of 1.7m and a weight of 1.6kg.
Why do they need large wings?
The huge wings of flying foxes allow them to fly for long distances in search of food – they are long and narrow to reduce drag and allow for efficient gliding, and being bigger, they beat slowly and powerfully to conserve energy. Their wings also help them to manoeuvre effectively thanks to flexible membranes that can manipulate air flow to control flight direction and speed. The large wing surface area also aids lift – handy when the flying foxes are weaving through trees and landing on branches.
How fast are flying foxes?
Flying foxes have a top speed of around 30.6km/h
Where do flying foxes live?
Over 60 species of flying fox are recognised, and they are found in tropical and subtropical regions of Oceania, Asia, and some islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
How do they cope with the climate?
Flying fox wings are full of blood vessels, which help regulate temperature. When it’s cool, a flying fox will wrap its wings tightly around its body like a blanket, trapping heat. In hot weather, the mammal spreads its wings to release excess heat, and fans itself.
How else do they keep cool?
In the BBC natural history series Wonders of the Monsoon little red flying foxes (Pteropus scapulatus) were filmed skimming the surface of a river mid-flight to soak their chests but they had to avoid opportunistic crocodiles. If they escaped the jaws of the hungry reptiles, the bats licked the water off back at their roosts.
What other adaptations do they have?
These mammals have clawed feet, which allow them to grip branches and hang upside downfor long periods. They also have clawed thumbs to pull fruit or flower-laden branches towards them.
What do flying foxes eat and how do they find food?
Flying foxes do not use echolocation. Instead, they rely on their excellent vision (particularly in low-light conditions), and sense of smell to find food. Most species of flying fox are nocturnal and can cover up to 30km in one night while foraging.
They dip their heads into flowering plants and use their long tongues to extract pollen and nectar. When foraging on fruit, flying foxes will compress the fruit against their palate with their tongue to squeeze out and consume the juices – the rest is spat out.
Where do flying foxes roost?
Flying foxes like roosting in large trees with open canopies for easy take-off and landing, and near water so they can keep cool and hydrated.
Some species of flying fox choose to roost in urban areas where there is year-round food availability and fewer natural predators (birds of prey and large reptiles). A roosting colony of flying foxes is known as a camp and can contain tens of thousands of individuals (camps vary in size depending on food availability and breeding season). Withing the camps, flying foxes find mates, feed young and rest.
When does mating season occur?
It varies by species and location but is often seasonal and births are usually timed with food availability, such as flowering or fruiting periods.
How do they breed?
Most flying fox species are polygynous with males mating with multiple females. During the breeding season males establish territories and guard harems of females. A Biology Lettersstudy found that grey-headed flying fox males with high testosterone were better able to maintain their harems in the mating period. This is because males with high testosterone were likely to be more aggressive and confrontational.
How do females care for their young?
Gestation lasts about five to six months and females tend to give birth to one pup each year. Young are born covered in fur but usually with closed eyes and are carried by their mothers for several weeks (including in flight), clinging on with their feet, thumbs and teeth. After a few weeks, pups may be left at camps while their mothers forage, and weaning starts at around three to six months, depending on the species.
How long do flying foxes live?
Their average lifespan in the wild is about 15 years
Do they face any threats?
The main threats to flying foxes are habitat loss, hunting and culling, climate change and extreme weather (heatwaves, for example), and disturbance of roosting sites, (particularly small island populations). Habitat loss is caused by deforestation and urbanisation, and the bats are hunted and culled for bushmeat, and because in some places, they are thought to be crop pests. Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology reports that nearly half of all flying fox species are experiencing declining populations. The conservation status of flying foxes varies depending on the species but estimately 17 species are classed as Critically Endangered or Endangered.
