Black flying fox

Species of mammal

Black flying fox
Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Pteropodidae
Genus: Pteropus
Species:
P. alecto
Binomial name
Pteropus alecto
Temminck, 1837
Subspecies
  • P. a. alecto
  • P. a. aterrimus
  • P. a. gouldi
  • P. a. morio
Black flying fox range
Roosting colony of Black Flying Fox in Perrin Park, Brisbane, Australia, in late afternoon. Children in an adjacent playground can be heard also.
recorded 9 September 2018

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The black flying fox or black fruit bat (Pteropus alecto) is a bat in the family Pteropodidae. It is among the largest bats in the world, but is considerably smaller than the largest species in its genus, Pteropus. The black flying fox is native to Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. It is not a threatened species.

Taxonomy

Juvenile specimens of this species from Moa Island in Torres Strait have been described as a separate species, Pteropus banakrisi.[2] This supposed species was known as the "Torresian flying fox" or "Moa Island fruit bat".

Description

The black flying fox has short, black hair with a contrasting reddish-brown mantle, and a mean forearm length of 164 mm (6.46 in) and a mean weight of 710 g (1.57 lb). It is one of the largest bat species in the world, and has a wingspan of more than 1 metre (39 in).

Distribution

Black flying foxes are native to Australia (New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia), Papua New Guinea (Western Province) and Indonesia (West Papua, Sulawesi, Sumba, and Savu).

Roosting habits

During the day, individuals reside in large roosts (colonies or 'camps') consisting of hundreds to tens of thousands of individuals. They sometimes share their roosts with the grey-headed flying fox (Pteropus poliocephalus), the spectacled flying fox (P. conspicillatus), and/or the little red flying fox (P. scapulatus). They roost in mangroves, paperbark swamps, patches of rainforest and bamboo forests, and very rarely in caves or underneath overhangs.

Reproduction

Black flying foxes breed once a year. A single young is born and carried by its mother for the first month of life, after which it is left behind in the roost when the mother is out foraging at night.

Diet

Black flying fox feeding on a palm, Brisbane, Australia

Black flying foxes eat pollen and nectar from native eucalyptus, lilypillies, paperbark, and turpentine trees. When native foods are scarce, particularly during drought, the bats may take introduced or commercial fruits, such as mangos and apples. This species had been known to travel up to 50 km (31 mi) a night in search of food. In residential areas, the species has adapted to eating introduced cocos palm trees as a substitute for scarcer native species - and now accounts for around 30% of the animals' food source. However, the high acidity of the palm fruits can prove toxic and may lead to death.[3]

Conservation

Group in northern New South Wales, Australia

The black flying fox is not listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List; nevertheless, the species is exposed to several threats, including loss of foraging and roosting habitat, and mass die-offs caused by extreme temperature events.[4] Because climate change is predicted to make Australia hotter, the negative impacts this species faces from extreme temperature events are expected to grow into a larger problem.[5] According to one study, these animals begin to die once temperatures reach above 40°C.[5] Another study of records from wildlife rehabilitation clinics in Australia found that heat stress particularly affected black flying foxes compared to other flying fox species. Clinic records indicated that 46% of wildlife rescues of black flying foxes were due to heat stress, compared to 18% of grey-headed flying fox rescues and 8% of little red flying fox rescues.[6]

When present in urban environments, black flying foxes are sometimes perceived as a nuisance. Because their roosting and foraging habits bring the species into conflict with humans, it suffers from direct killing of animals in orchards and harassment and destruction of roosts. In Indonesia, this species is frequently consumed as bushmeat, with concerns that the population loss might not be sustainable.[7]

As a disease vector

Negative public perception of the species has intensified with the discovery of three recently emerged zoonotic viruses that are potentially fatal to humans: Australian bat lyssavirus,[8] Hendra virus, and Menangle virus. However, only the Australian bat lyssavirus is known from two isolated cases to be directly transmissible from bats to humans.

Wildlife rescue

Flying foxes often come to the attention of Australian wildlife care and rescue organisations, such as Wildcare Australia,[9] Orphan Native Animal Rear and Release Association Incorporated,[10] Wildlife Carers Darling Downs, Bat Care, Bat Rescue, Tweed Valley Wildlife Carers, and WIRES when reported as injured, sick, orphaned or abandoned. A very high proportion of adult flying fox injuries are caused by entanglement in barbed wire fences or loose, improperly erected fruit tree netting, both of which can result in very serious injuries and a slow, agonizing death for the animal if not rescued quickly.

References

  1. ^ Roberts, B.; Eby, P.; Tsang, S.M.; Sheherazade (2017). "Pteropus alecto". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T18715A22080057. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T18715A22080057.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Helgen, Kristofer M. (2004), "On the Identity of Flying-Foxes, genus Pteropus (Mammalia: Chiroptera), from Islands in the Torres Strait, Australia." Zootaxa 780:1–14.
  3. ^ "Remove Cocos to deter flying foxes". Queensland Times. 15 July 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  4. ^ Australian flying fox die-offs
  5. ^ a b Welbergen, Justin A; Klose, Stefan M; Markus, Nicola; Eby, Peggy (2007-11-28). "Climate change and the effects of temperature extremes on Australian flying-foxes". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 275 (1633): 419–425. doi:10.1098/rspb.2007.1385. ISSN 0962-8452. PMC 2596826. PMID 18048286.
  6. ^ Mo, Matthew; Roache, Mike; Haering, Ron; Kwok, Alan (2021). "Using wildlife carer records to identify patterns in flying-fox rescues: a case study in New South Wales, Australia". Pacific Conservation Biology. 27 (1): 61. doi:10.1071/pc20031. ISSN 1038-2097. S2CID 225528523.
  7. ^ Mickleburgh, S., Waylen, K., & Racey, P. (2009). Bats as bushmeat: a global review. Oryx, 43(02), 217-234.
  8. ^ "Australian Bat Lyssavirus Infection in a Captive Juvenile Black Flying-Fox". Field, H. and McCall, Bradley J. and Barrett, J. (1999). Emerging Infectious Diseases, 5 (3).[1]
  9. ^ "Wildcare Australia Inc". Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  10. ^ "An Introduction to O.N.A.R.R." O.N.A.R.R. Retrieved January 11, 2013.

Further reading

  • Hall, Linnea Suzanne & Richards, Gregory C. (2000). Flying-foxes: fruit and blossom bats of Australia. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press. ISBN 0-86840-561-2.
  • Markus, Nicola (2002). "Behaviour of the black flying-fox Pteropus alecto: 2. Territoriality and courtship". Acta Chiropterologica. 4 (2): 153–166. doi:10.3161/001.004.0204. S2CID 86125017.
  • Markus, Nicola & Blackshaw, Judith K. (2002). "Behaviour of the black flying-fox, Pteropus alecto: 1. An ethogram of behaviour, and preliminary characterisation of mother-infant interactions". Acta Chiropterologica. 4 (2): 137–152. doi:10.3161/001.004.0203. S2CID 86200967.
  • Speare, Rick, et al. (1997). "Australian bat lyssavirus infection in three fruit bats from north Queensland." Comm Dis Intell 1997; 21:117-120. Downloadable pdf at: [2]
  • Vardon, M.; C. Tidemann (1998). "Reproduction, growth and maturity in the black flying-fox, Pteropus alecto (Megachiroptera: Pteropodidae)". Australian Journal of Zoology. 46 (4): 329–344. doi:10.1071/ZO98023.
  • Vardon, M.; C. Tidemann (2000). "The black flying-fox (Pteropus alecto) in north Australia: juvenile mortality and longevity". Australian Journal of Zoology. 48: 91–97. doi:10.1071/ZO99060.
  • Welbergen, J.; Klose, S.; Markus, N.; Eby, P. (2008). "Climate change and the effects of temperature extremes on Australian flying-foxes". Proceedings: Biological Sciences. 275 (1633): 419–425. doi:10.1098/rspb.2007.1385. PMC 2596826. PMID 18048286.
  • Welbergen, J. (2008). "Variation in twilight predicts the duration of the evening emergence of fruit bats from a mixed-species roost". Animal Behaviour. 75 (4): 1543–1550. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.10.007. S2CID 53170754.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pteropus alecto.
Wikispecies has information related to Pteropus alecto.
  • ARKive - images and movies of the black flying-fox (Pteropus alecto)
  • Brief history of Megachiroptera / Megabats
  • v
  • t
  • e
Extant species of family Pteropodidae
Subfamily Nyctimeninae
Nyctimene
(tube-nosed fruit bats)
  • Broad-striped tube-nosed fruit bat (N. aello)
  • Common tube-nosed fruit bat (N. albiventer)
  • Pallas's tube-nosed bat (N. cephalotes)
  • Mountain tube-nosed fruit bat (N. certans)
  • Round-eared tube-nosed fruit bat (N. cyclotis)
  • Dragon tube-nosed fruit bat (N. draconilla)
  • Keast's tube-nosed fruit bat (N. keasti)
  • Island tube-nosed fruit bat (N. major)
  • Malaita tube-nosed fruit bat (N. malaitensis)
  • Demonic tube-nosed fruit bat (N. masalai)
  • Lesser tube-nosed bat (N. minutus)
  • Philippine tube-nosed fruit bat (N. rabori)
  • Eastern tube-nosed Bat (N. robinsoni)
  • Umboi tube-nosed fruit bat (N. vizcaccia)
Paranyctimene
  • Lesser tube-nosed fruit bat (P. raptor)
  • Steadfast tube-nosed fruit bat (P. tenax)
Subfamily Cynopterinae
Aethalops
(Pygmy fruit bats)
  • Borneo fruit bat (A. aequalis)
  • Pygmy fruit bat (A. alecto)
Alionycteris
  • Mindanao pygmy fruit bat (A. paucidentata)
Balionycteris
Chironax
  • Black-capped fruit bat (C. melanocephalus)
Cynopterus
(Dog-faced fruit bats)
  • Lesser short-nosed fruit bat (C. brachyotis)
  • Horsfield's fruit bat (C. horsfieldii)
  • Peters's fruit bat (C. luzoniensis)
  • Minute fruit bat (C. minutus)
  • Nusatenggara short-nosed fruit bat (C. nusatenggara)
  • Greater short-nosed fruit bat (C. sphinx)
  • Indonesian short-nosed fruit bat (C. titthaecheilus)
Dyacopterus
(Dayak fruit bats)
  • Brooks's dyak fruit bat (D. brooksi)
  • Rickart's dyak fruit bat (D. rickarti)
  • Dayak fruit bat (D. spadiceus)
Haplonycteris
  • Fischer's pygmy fruit bat (H. fischeri)
Latidens
  • Salim Ali's fruit bat (L. salimalii)
Megaerops
  • Tailless fruit bat (M. ecaudatus)
  • Javan tailless fruit bat (M. kusnotoi)
  • Ratanaworabhan's fruit bat (M. niphanae)
  • White-collared fruit bat (M. wetmorei)
Otopteropus
  • Luzon fruit bat (O. cartilagonodus)
Penthetor
  • Dusky fruit bat (P. lucasi)
Ptenochirus
(Musky fruit bats)
  • Greater musky fruit bat (P. jagori)
  • Lesser musky fruit bat (P. minor)
Sphaerias
  • Blanford's fruit bat (S. blanfordi)
Thoopterus
Subfamily Harpyionycterinae
Aproteles
  • Bulmer's fruit bat (A. bulmerae)
Dobsonia
(Bare-backed fruit bats)
  • Andersen's naked-backed fruit bat (D. anderseni)
  • Beaufort's naked-backed fruit bat (D. beauforti)
  • Philippine naked-backed fruit bat (D. chapmani)
  • Halmahera naked-backed fruit bat (D. crenulata)
  • Biak naked-backed fruit bat (D. emersa)
  • Sulawesi naked-backed fruit bat (D. exoleta)
  • Solomon's naked-backed fruit bat (D. inermis)
  • Lesser naked-backed fruit bat (D. minor)
  • Moluccan naked-backed fruit bat (D. moluccensis)
  • Panniet naked-backed fruit bat (D. pannietensis)
  • Western naked-backed fruit bat (D. peronii)
  • New Britain naked-backed fruit bat (D. praedatrix)
  • Greenish naked-backed fruit bat (D. viridis)
Harpyionycteris
  • Sulawesi harpy fruit bat (H. celebensis)
  • Harpy fruit bat (H. whiteheadi)
Subfamily Macroglossinae
Macroglossus
(Long-tongued fruit bats)
  • Long-tongued nectar bat (M. minimus)
  • Long-tongued fruit bat (M. sobrinus)
Melonycteris
  • Fardoulis's blossom bat (M. fardoulisi)
  • Black-bellied fruit bat (M. melanops)
  • Woodford's fruit bat (M. woodfordi)
Notopteris
(Long-tailed fruit bats)
  • Long-tailed fruit bat (N. macdonaldi)
  • New Caledonia blossom bat (N. neocaledonica)
Syconycteris
(blossom bats)
  • Common blossom bat (S. australis)
  • Halmahera blossom bat (S. carolinae)
  • Moss-forest blossom bat (S. hobbit)
Subfamily Pteropodinae
Acerodon
  • Sulawesi flying fox (A. celebensis)
  • Talaud flying fox (A. humilis)
  • Giant golden-crowned flying fox (A. jubatus)
  • Palawan fruit bat (A. leucotis)
  • Sunda flying fox (A. mackloti)
Desmalopex
  • White-winged flying fox (D. leucopterus)
  • Small white-winged flying fox (D. microleucopterus)
Eidolon
(Straw-coloured fruit bats)
  • Madagascan fruit bat (E. dupreanum)
  • Straw-coloured fruit bat (E. helvum)
Mirimiri
  • Fijian monkey-faced Bat (M. acrodonta)
Neopteryx
  • Small-toothed fruit bat (N. frosti)
Pteralopex
  • Bougainville monkey-faced Bat (P. anceps)
  • Guadalcanal monkey-faced Bat (P. atrata)
  • Greater monkey-faced Bat (P. flanneryi)
  • Montane monkey-faced Bat (P. pulchra)
  • New Georgian monkey-faced Bat (P. taki)
Pteropus
(flying foxes)
  • Admiralty flying fox (P. admiralitatum)
  • Aldabra flying fox (P. aldabrensis)
  • Black flying fox (P. alecto)
  • Small Samoan flying fox (P. allenorum)
  • Vanuatu flying fox (P. anetianus)
  • Aru flying fox (P. aruensis)
  • Ashy-headed flying fox (P. caniceps)
  • Bismarck masked flying fox (P. capistratus)
  • Moluccan flying fox (P. chrysoproctus)
  • Makira flying fox (P. cognatus)
  • Spectacled flying fox (P. conspicillatus)
  • Large Samoan flying fox (P. coxi)
  • Ryukyu flying fox (P. dasymallus)
  • New Ireland masked flying fox (P. ennisae)
  • Nicobar flying fox (P. faunulus)
  • Banks flying fox (P. fundatus)
  • Gilliard's flying fox (P. gilliardorum)
  • Gray flying fox (P. griseus)
  • Ontong Java flying fox (P. howensis)
  • Small flying fox (P. hypomelanus)
  • Andersen's flying fox (P. intermedius)
  • Kei flying fox (P. keyensis)
  • Livingstone's fruit bat (P. livingstonii)
  • Lombok flying fox (P. lombocensis)
  • Okinawa flying fox (P. loochoensis)
  • Lyle's flying fox (P. lylei)
  • Big-eared flying fox (P. macrotis)
  • Lesser flying fox (P. mahaganus)
  • Mariana fruit bat (P. mariannus)
  • Indian flying fox (P. medius)
  • Black-bearded flying fox (P. melanopogon)
  • Black-eared flying fox (P. melanotus)
  • Caroline flying fox (P. molossinus)
  • Great flying fox (P. neohibernicus)
  • Mauritian flying fox (P. niger)
  • Temotu flying fox (P. nitendiensis)
  • Ceram fruit bat (P. ocularis)
  • Ornate flying fox (P. ornatus)
  • P. pelagicus
  • Pelew flying fox (P. pelewensis)
  • Masked flying fox (P. personatus)
  • Geelvink Bay flying fox (P. pohlei)
  • Grey-headed flying fox (P. poliocephalus)
  • Bonin flying fox (P. pselaphon)
  • Little golden-mantled flying fox (P. pumilus)
  • Solomons flying fox (P. rayneri)
  • Rennell flying fox (P. rennelli)
  • Rodrigues flying fox (P. rodricensis)
  • Madagascan flying fox (P. rufus)
  • Samoa flying fox (P. samoensis)
  • Little red flying fox (P. scapulatus)
  • Seychelles fruit bat (P. seychellensis)
  • Philippine gray flying fox (P. speciosus)
  • Temminck's flying fox (P. temminckii)
  • Insular flying fox (P. tonganus)
  • Vanikoro flying fox (P. tuberculatus)
  • Kosrae flying fox (P. ualanus)
  • Large flying fox (P. vampyrus)
  • New Caledonia flying fox (P. vetulus)
  • Pemba flying fox (P. voeltzkowi)
  • Dwarf flying fox (P. woodfordi)
Styloctenium
  • Mindoro stripe-faced fruit bat (S. mindorensis)
  • Sulawesi stripe-faced fruit bat (S. wallacei)
Subfamily Rousettinae
Eonycteris
(Dawn fruit bats)
  • Greater nectar bat (E. major)
  • Cave nectar bat (E. spelaea)
  • Philippine dawn bat (E. robusta)
Rousettus
(rousette fruit bats)
  • Subgenus Boneia: Manado fruit bat (R. bidens)
  • Subgenus Rousettus: Geoffroy's rousette (R. amplexicaudatus)
  • Sulawesi rousette (R. celebensis)
  • Egyptian rousette (R. aegyptiacus)
  • Leschenault's rousette (R. leschenaulti)
  • Linduan Rousette (R. linduensis)
  • Comoro rousette (R. obliviosus)
  • Bare-backed rousette (R. spinalatus)
  • Subgenus Stenonycteris: Long-haired rousette (R. lanosus)
  • Madagascan rousette (R. madagascariensis)
Subfamily Epomophorinae
Epomophorini
Epomophorus
(Epauleted fruit bats)
  • Angolan epauletted fruit bat (E. angolensis)
  • Ansell's epauletted fruit bat (E. anselli)
  • Peters's epauletted fruit bat (E. crypturus)
  • Gambian epauletted fruit bat (E. gambianus)
  • Lesser Angolan epauletted fruit bat (E. grandis)
  • Ethiopian epauletted fruit bat (E. labiatus)
  • East African epauletted fruit bat (E. minimus)
  • Minor epauletted fruit bat (E. minor)
  • Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat (E. wahlbergi)
Epomops
(Epauleted bats)
  • Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat (E. buettikoferi)
  • Dobson's fruit bat (E. dobsoni)
  • Franquet's epauletted fruit bat (E. franqueti)
Hypsignathus
  • Hammer-headed Bat (H. monstrosus)
Micropteropus
(Dwarf epauleted bats)
  • Hayman's dwarf epauletted fruit bat (M. intermedius)
  • Peters' dwarf epauletted fruit bat (M. pusillus)
Nanonycteris
  • Veldkamp's dwarf epauletted fruit bat (N. veldkampii)
Myonycterini
Lissonycteris
  • Angolan rousette (L. angolensis)
Megaloglossus
  • Azagnyi fruit bat (M. azagnyi)
  • Woermann's bat (M. woermanni)
Myonycteris
(Little collared fruit bats)
  • São Tomé collared fruit bat (M. brachycephala)
  • East African little collared fruit bat (M. relicta)
  • Little collared fruit bat (M. torquata)
Plerotini
Plerotes
  • D'Anchieta's fruit bat (P. anchietae)
Scotonycterini
Casinycteris
  • Short-palated fruit bat (C. argynnis)
  • Campo-Ma’an fruit bat (C. campomaanensis)
  • Pohle's fruit bat (C. ophiodon)
Scotonycteris
  • Zenker's fruit bat (S. zenkeri)
Taxon identifiers
Pteropus alecto