Grey-headed Flying Fox ()

The Grey-headed Flying Fox

This native Australian bat can be found along the east coast of the continent.  It is the most imposing and impressive bat Australia has to offer.  The grey headed flying fox is easily recognizable with its brown body, reddish colored collar and gray head.  It is also the only bat to have fur from the top of it's head to the its toes.  It has the longest wingspan of any bat with maximum wingspan of about 1meter, (3 feet).  It's body length is normally between 22 and 27 centimeters, (8.5-10.5 inches).  Unlike most bats who rely on radar to find their food this mega-bat uses sight and smell.  Its vision is just as good as ours during the day and even better at night. 

The grey headed flying fox is known as a fruit bat but actually has a diet of mostly nectar and pollen.  The odd times that they do eat fruit it always spits out the seeds.  It sometimes flies up to 50 kilometers, (31 miles), during the night to find food.  When food gets scarce the bats just move to another area.  Since they travel enormous lengths carrying pollen the grey headed flying foxes play a very important role in the survival of forests and diversity of plants.  Because of this crucial role we need to fight for the grey headed flying fox's survival since it is now on the vulnerable species list.

The mating season for these bats is usually around April and they give birth to a live baby in the month of September or October.  The baby is born with fur and will drink milk from its mother during its first four months.  The young learn to fly at the age of three months and join their mothers on night flights to learn to find food for themselves at about 5 months of age.  They become sexually mature at the age of two or three and can live about 10 years. 

Did you know: that the reason why these bats hang upside down is because their legs aren't strong enough to support then standing?

Further Information on the Grey-headed Flying Fox:

Bibliography:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_headed_flying_fox
http://australian-animals.net/flyingfox.htm
http://lamington.nrsm.uq.edu.au/Documents/Anim/gre-headed_flying_fox.htm
http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/npws.nsf/Content/Grey-headed+flying+fox+-+vulnerable+species+listing
http://www.faunanet.gov.au/wos/factfile.cfm?Fact_ID=307
http://www.amonline.net.au/wild_kids/bats/flying_fox .htm
http://www.bellingen.com/flyingfoxes/bats_or_flying_foxes.htm
http://www.conorbuckner.us/ff.html
http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/nature_conservation/wildlife/native_animals/nocturnal_animals/mammals/greyheaded_flyingfox/