Quick Facts
- Type
- Mammal
- Size
- Wingspan up to about 1 m
- Weight
- 0.5–1 kg
- Habitat
- Forests and urban trees of Australia and New Guinea
- Diet
- Nectar, pollen, and fruit
- Active Time
- Nocturnal
- Lifespan
- Up to about 15 years
Field Notes
- With a wingspan over a meter, it is one of the world's largest bats.
- It finds food by sight and smell, not echolocation like small bats.
- By spreading pollen and seeds, it helps native forests regrow.
About the Black Flying Fox
The black flying fox is one of the largest bats in the world, a fruit-eating megabat native to Australia, New Guinea, and nearby regions. Unlike insect-hunting bats, it does not use echolocation, relying instead on large eyes and a keen sense of smell to find food in the dark. By day, huge colonies roost together in trees, hanging upside down wrapped in their wings. At night they fly out to feed on nectar, pollen, and fruit, making them important pollinators and seed dispersers for native forests.
Keep exploring
Related animals
Red Fox
Capybara
Malayan Tapir
African Bush Elephant
Bengal Tiger
Giant Panda
Sunda Pangolin
Narwhal
Giraffe
Sea Otter
Red Panda
European Hedgehog
Or spin for another random animal on the explorer, or browse all species in the full directory.