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Common name:
FLYING FOXScientific name:
PteropusClass:
MammalsOrder:
ChiropteraFamily:
PteropodidaeProvenance:
Aisa, Austrialia, Islands of Eastern AfricasDiet:
Fruit – leaves – pollen – nectarHabitat:
ForestReproduction:
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The Genus Pteropus includes the largest bats in the world.
Pteropus vampyrus is the species with the largest size: its wing span reaches 182 centimeters while its weight is only 1.5 kg.
The pelage is long and silky with a dense under fur. No tail is present. The Head resembles that of a fox with big eyes and ears. The toes have sharp, curved claws.
The wing is a thin fleshy membrane, supported in front by the bones of the anterior limbs and of the second toe, both of which are very elongated. In the back it’s tightened between the third, fourth and fifth toe. Only the first toe is free and equipped with a claw. These bats live in the forest and eat in the surrounding rural areas. They eat exclusively fruit and don’t have the ability of echolocation but their sight and smell are very keen.
By eating fruit, they contribute to the movement of seeds from one place to another. Females give birth to one young after a gestation of 4-5 months. The young bat is nursed for 10-11 weeks.
This species is endangered by hunting as a source of food and by the loss of their habitat.