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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.

Social organisation and mating system

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Live in large groups, sometimes up to several thousand strong.
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Monogamous

Did you know that...?

They are the largest bat found in Australia.

Taxonomy

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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
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