Grey-headed flying fox  (Pteropus poliocephalus)

Biology

Grey-headed flying foxes roost in large colonies, or ‘camps’, of up to tens of thousands of individuals among exposed branches during the day (7) (8). At dusk these bats emerge from the colony in search of food (9) (10), travelling up to 50 kilometres to their feeding areas (11) (12) (13). Their diet consists of fruit from a range of native and introduced species, as well as pollen and nectar, particularly of Eucalypt trees (11) (14) (15) (16) (17).

Breeding is seasonal, and from January onwards males defend mating territories, which they demarcate by scent-marking, loud calls and aggression (18). Mating generally occurs between March and May (18) (19), with a single young born six months later between September and November (15). Females then carry their pup during foraging flights for the first three weeks, after which they are left behind in the camp (4) (15). Young are capable of flight and follow their mother to forage after three months, but are not weaned until five to six months (15) (19) (18).

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