Australia is home to four species of flying fox, the largest of which is the Grey Headed Flying Fox in fact, the grey headed flying fox is the largest of all australia bate
Like all flying foxes the Grey headed flying fox is a key stone species for its role in long distance pollination which keeps our forests healthy.
The grey headed flying fox was historically found from Townsville in North Queensland to eastern Victoria but over the last few decades colonies of these fruit bats have moved further south into Melbourne and as far west as Adelaide in search of new habitat. This is largely a result of ongoing droughts, which effect the amount of flowing trees for them to feed on, and extensive land clearing in parts of their natural range.
Because of this large numbers of fruit bats are now found in many cities and botanical gardens where introduced plants and fruit trees provide a stable source of food all year round
This recent move to urban areas has unfortunately given many people the impression that flying foxes are in plague proportions, but in reality their numbers are decreasing sharply, and populations are just becoming more condensed. Because of this the grey headed flying fox is today considered a threatened species while it’s northern cousin the spectacled flying fox is critically endangered.
Flying fox conservation today is incredibly important because flying foxes are vital pollinators of our forests ensuring gene flow over long distances
The grey headed flying fox, like most fruit bats give birth to one baby each year called a pup. The flying fox pup spends its first weeks of life clinging to mum while she flys around, before being left with the colony in a crepe until it’s old enough to fly on its own.
Australia’s other three species of flying fox are the black flying fox, and little red flying fox, which are both found throughout the tropical north, and the speckled flying fox which found only in North Queensland
