Lifespan15 years in the wild and up to 30 years under human care
Quick facts
DietPollen, nectar, flowers and fruit
HabitatTropical primary & secondary forests and swamps
RangeAcross much of continental and southeast Asia
The Malayan flying fox
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Big But Harmless
With a wingspan of 1.5–1.7m, these are some of the largest bats in the world.
At the Fragile Forest biodome, feel the breeze as they flap past you, sometimes missing you by inches. There’s no cause for alarm — these frugivorous bats mean no harm. They’re just probably in a hurry to get to the feeding platform. Landing on the tips of the branches decked out with juicy fruit by the keepers, they quickly fall into an upside-down position to feed, hanging on by the claws on their toes.
Toeing the line
Their toe claws provide such a powerful grip they can hang on with one foot while feeding with the other! Slicing the rind with their teeth, they extract the fruit with their long tongue, which is also used to lap up nectar.
The thumb claw is used as a hook to help them move along branches. Males also use it to settle turf wars. Highly territorial by nature, they communicate ownership by spreading their wings, growling, or making hostile noises.
All in a (hot) day’s work
The flying foxes have huge eyes with keen eyesight to locate fruits and flowers at night. They can eat up to half of their body weight in fruit on a daily basis.
When sated, they right themselves and do a “free-fall” take off to look for a roosting spot. They also turn the right side up in order to defecate. They rest head down, wings wrapped around their bodies.
They do not have sweat glands. On hot days, they cool down by fanning their wings. When that doesn’t work, they seek shade and then lick themselves all over — the evaporation of their saliva helps cool their bodies.
Together, we protect wildlife
For the love of durian
Flying foxes are threatened by over-hunting and deforestation. They are hunted as exotic meat and also consumed as a traditional cure for asthma. Previously, it was thought that flying foxes eat up the flowers of the durian tree and many orchard owners set up nets to trap them.
Studies using camera traps have confirmed that these bats are probably the most effective pollinators for durian trees.
Pollen sticks to their fur as they feed on the nectar, and is transferred when they move off to feed on the flowers of another tree. If flying foxes were to go extinct one day, so might durians. That alone is reason enough to conserve them.
The IUCN Status
NT
Near Threatened
Likely to become vulnerable in the near future
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.
DD
Data Deficient
Unknown risk of extinction
LC
Least Concern
At relatively low risk of extinction
NT
Near Threatened
Likely to become vulnerable in the near future
VU
Vulnerable
At high risk of extinction in the wild
EN
Endangered
At very high risk of extinction in the wild
CR
Critically Endangered
At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild
EW
Extinct in the Wild
Survives only in captivity
EX
Extinct
No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity
