Black Flying-fox (Pteropus alecto) lives in tropical rainforest across Northern Australia. It feeds on nectar and fruit. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Black Flying-fox
- Black flying foxes can travel up to 50 km in a single night while searching for food, allowing them to reach distant flowering and fruiting trees. Their diet normally consists of pollen and nectar from native eucalyptus, lilypillies, paperbark and turpentine trees. When those native resources are scarce, especially during drought, they will also feed on introduced or commercial fruits such as mangos and apples, expanding their foraging range even further.
- Heat extremes above 40 °C are fatal for black flying foxes, with individuals beginning to die once temperatures reach that level. One study documented this threshold, showing that mortality starts when the air exceeds 40 °C. Climate models predict a hotter Australia, meaning that such extreme-temperature events are likely to become more frequent and pose an increasing threat to the species' survival.
- Heat stress is responsible for nearly half of all wildlife rescues of black flying foxes, with 46 % of admissions linked to high temperatures. This proportion is far higher than the 18 % recorded for grey-headed flying foxes and the 8 % for little red flying foxes. Records from rehabilitation clinics show that black flying foxes are especially vulnerable to heat, making temperature spikes a major cause of injury and mortality in this species.
- In suburban areas the bat has switched to eating introduced cocos palm fruits, which now make up about 30% of its diet. The shift reflects its ability to use non-native food sources when native plants are scarce.
- During daylight the species gathers in massive roosts that can hold from hundreds up to tens of thousands of individuals. These daytime camps are sometimes shared with other flying-fox species, creating bustling mixed colonies.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeNorthern Australia
HabitatTropical rainforest
DietNectar and fruit
About the Black Flying-fox
In the twilight skies of Australia's eastern coast, the black flying-fox unfurls its majestic wings, a dark silhouette against the fading light as it takes to the air with a soft whoosh of leathery membranes. With a fluid, effortless motion, it glides and banks, its large eyes scanning the landscape below for the ripe fruits and nectars that sustain it, its very presence a testament to the enduring power of evolution. As it moves through the world, this nocturnal nomad weaves a subtle spell of mystery and wonder, its nightly pilgrimages a reminder of the beauty that still lurks in the shadows of our modern world.
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