Grey headed flying fox
Pteropus poliocephalus
Where is it found?
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Tropical forests, woodland and swamps
Diet and foraging method
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Flying foxes bite pieces off of their food, chew it and then spit out portions that are not swallowed.
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Key adaptations
Strong claws help them hang upside down.
Large eyes assist with navigation. Interestingly, unlike other bats they rely on sight as they do not echolocate.
Large eyes assist with navigation. Interestingly, unlike other bats they rely on sight as they do not echolocate.
Social organisation and mating system
Live in large groups, sometimes up to several thousand strong.
Monogamous
Did you know that...?
They are the largest bat found in Australia.
Taxonomy
Picture credits:
Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"GreyHeadedFlyingFox" by Mike Lehmann - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GreyHeadedFlyingFox.jpg#/media/File:GreyHeadedFlyingFox.jpg
"Pteropus poliocephalus with baby" by Mnolf - Photo taken at the Tolga Bat Hospital, Australia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pteropus_poliocephalus_with_baby.jpg#/media/File:Pteropus_poliocephalus_with_baby.jpg
"Pteropus poliocephalus-Cayley". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pteropus_poliocephalus-Cayley.jpg#/media/File:Pteropus_poliocephalus-Cayley.jpg
"GreyHeadedFlyingFox" by Mike Lehmann - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GreyHeadedFlyingFox.jpg#/media/File:GreyHeadedFlyingFox.jpg
"Pteropus poliocephalus with baby" by Mnolf - Photo taken at the Tolga Bat Hospital, Australia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pteropus_poliocephalus_with_baby.jpg#/media/File:Pteropus_poliocephalus_with_baby.jpg
"Pteropus poliocephalus-Cayley". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pteropus_poliocephalus-Cayley.jpg#/media/File:Pteropus_poliocephalus-Cayley.jpg