What is a flying fox in Australia?
In Australia, a flying fox is a large fruit bat. Flying foxes feed on nectar, pollen and fruit, and play an important role in pollinating native trees and spreading seeds across long distances.
There are four main species on the mainland: the grey-headed flying fox, the black flying fox, the little red flying fox and the spectacled flying fox. The grey-headed flying fox is listed as vulnerable.
Flying foxes have wingspans of up to about one metre and fox-like faces, which give them their name. They roost in large colonies in trees during the day.
Night travelers
At dusk, flying foxes leave their roosts to feed, sometimes flying more than 50 kilometres in a night. Their pollination helps maintain eucalyptus forests and rainforests.
Colonies in cities, such as Melbourne's Yarra Bend Park and in Brisbane and Sydney, can be noisy and smelly, sometimes causing conflict with residents.
Flying foxes can carry Australian bat lyssavirus, so only trained and vaccinated people should handle them. Heatwaves can kill thousands of flying foxes in a single day. They are protected by law.