Black Flying-fox

Family: Pteropodidae
Scientific name: Pteropus alecto

Where they roost:
High on the branches of trees. They roost in groups of up to many thousands of bats, called camps. Camps are found in mangroves, paperbark swamps or patches of rainforest.

What they eat:
Pollen and nectar of blossoms of eucalypts, paperbarks and turpentine trees. They also feed on other flowers and fruit, including introduced and commercial fruits like mangoes.

Conservation threats:
Vulnerable to loss of feeding areas from clearing of native vegetation and land degradation from agriculture.

Other information:
They are the largest species of flying-fox in Australia. They can fly at 35-40 kilometres per hour and may travel over 50 kilometres from their camp to a feeding area. They often share their camps with other flying-foxes species.

Photo © GB Baker/Nature Focus