Day 392#: Spectacled Flying Fox
Today's animal of the day is the Spectacled Flying Fox (Pteropus conspicillatus)!
Named after the pale yellow fur surrounding their eyes, which makes it look like they're wearing glasses, this species of fruit bat can be found in the tropical rainforests of northeastern Australia and New Guinea, as well as some nearby smaller islands. They are members of the family Pteropodidae, which are commonly known as the "megabats" due to their large size. While not the largest bat in the world (that title goes to the giant golden-crowned flying fox), these fruit bats can still grow pretty big, with wingspans of up to 3.9 ft!
Photo credit: Justin Welbergen
Like most other bats, they are nocturnal and come out at night in order to forage for food. However, unlike their insectivorous cousins, most fruit bats don't use echolocation. Instead, they use their large eyes and powerful sense of smell to locate ripe fruit in the dark. Also, just want to put it out there that even the bats that do use echolocation can still see. It's a myth that bats are blind or have poor eyesight. In fact, most bats can see just as well as humans can. Granted, we can't see that well in the dark either, but that's why those bats use echolocation.
Spectacled flying foxes feed mainly on fruit, such as figs, as well as flower nectar. They are highly social and prefer to forage and rest in large groups, called colonies. These colonies usually have around a few thousand bats, though the largest colony recorded had over 50,000 individuals! Bats often form close bonds with other members of their colonies, and they've been known to become very depressed when separated from other bats, which can cause them to become somewhat aggressive towards humans. Females especially form tight-knit bonds with each other, and non-pregnant individuals will often help tend to those who are about to give birth by bringing them food and protecting them from predators.
Photo credit: David White
Natural threats to these bats include mainly owls and pythons, though sometimes freshwater crocodiles will snatch them up when they swoop down to get a drink of water. Sadly, it's becoming more and more common for these bats to die unnatural deaths, caused mostly by humans. Bats often become tangled in nets, barbed wire, and even telephone wires, which, even if the bats survive, can severely damage their sensitive wing membranes and prevent them from ever flying again. The Australian government also used to give farmers permits to kill these bats since they would often "steal" fruit from their orchards. Since these bats play an important role as both pollinators and seed dispersers, I personally think they've earned the right to eat as much fruit as they want.
Thankfully, farmers are no longer permitted to shoot the bats, but they are sadly facing an even bigger crisis. In 2019, a heat wave brought on by climate change killed over one-third of the species' total population! As a result, the Australian government changed their conservation status from vulnerable to endangered. Sadly, despite the legal protections this status provides them, it's believed that very few wild bats manage to survive to the expected 12 to 15 years. It's almost certain that no wild bats are capable of getting anywhere close to 30 years, which some individuals have reached in captivity.
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